site.btaOrthodox Church in America Recognizes Independence of North Macedonia’s Orthodox Church

Media in North Macedonia report that the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has officially recognized the independence (autocephaly) of the Orthodox Church of North Macedonia.

According to the news site Liturgija.mk, this decision was announced by Archbishop Tikhon—the head of the Orthodox Church in America—on July 15, 2025, during his report at the 21st All-American Church Council, currently taking place in Phoenix, Arizona.

This move came in response to a formal request from Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, who asked the OCA to recognize North Macedonia’s church as independent, in line with the official declaration (tomos) issued earlier by the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Plans are underway for a joint religious service between Archbishop Tikhon and Archbishop Stefan, head of the North Macedonian Church. The service is expected to be held at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

However, not everyone agrees with this development. The website Religija.mk called it an “experiment” designed by the Russian Orthodox Church and carried out by the Serbian Church. They argue that most Orthodox churches - except for the initiators and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church - insist that true independence can only be granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. "Now Belgrade and Moscow have cooked up a new scenario to secure a recognition for the tomos issued by the Serbian Orthodox Church. The decision for a recognition is made by the Orthodox Church in America, whose independence is only recognized by the Russian church," Religija.mk says.

On May 9, 2022, the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople lifted the decades-long schism (religious separation) of the North Macedonian Church but did not grant it full independence. Instead, it left the matter to be resolved between the Serbian Church and the North Macedonian Church. On June 5, 2022, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia handed an official document (considered a tomos in North Macedonia) to Archbishop Stefan, confirming that the Serbian Church recognizes the North Macedonian Church’s independence. This ended a 55-year conflict between the two churches.

Despite this, the Ecumenical Patriarchate insists the church should be called simply “Ohrid,” without using the word “Macedonian.” It also set conditions for future recognition, including dropping the name “Macedonian Orthodox Church”; giving up jurisdiction over the Macedonian diaspora abroad; recognizing the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which Constantinople supports. Archbishop Stefan has rejected these conditions. In a 2024 interview, he said: “The name ‘Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric’ is ours. No one should ask us to give it up. Other Orthodox nations are allowed to serve their diaspora - so should we. But I don’t expect a positive outcome on that issue.”

Religija.mk also noted that the Orthodox Church in America itself is not recognized as independent by most other churches, except for the Russian Church.