The Ecumenical Patriarchate does not give up on resolving the church issue in Macedonia and does not intend to leave the process of resolving it, writes the Greek “Ethnikos Kirikas”.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate, despite all the pressures and threats from the Russian Church and its supporters in Greece and in Serbia, is ready to resolve the decade-long dispute in Macedonia, the Greek media outlet said, “Religija.mk” reported on Friday.

In a statement to “Ethnikos Kirikas”, which asked for a position on the letters of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and President Stevo Pendarovski, the Ecumenical Patriarchate stressed that not only has the process not been stopped, but that several steps have been taken that lead to the ultimate goal, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate is moving towards a final solution to the isse with the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The response states that the Ecumenical Patriarchate will apply the same model as it did in Ukraine. First, to remove the schism from the MOC and to remove the schism, so that the Macedonian bishops will be able to serve with the bishops of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Then they will move on to the process of signing Tomos of autocephaly.

It is a fact that this issue has existed for centuries, for the solution of which the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the Mother Church of all Balkan churches – but also of others – has made many attempts to date, taking care of the unity of Orthodoxy. At this point the issue has entered a new phase. The President and Prime Minister of Macedonia, in continuation of a similar request by their Hierarchy, ask the Ecumenical Patriarchate to help them enter into communion with the rest of the Orthodox world, and their Church will be called “Ohrid Archbishopric”, the Ecumenical Patriarchate told the Greek media outlet.