The leadership of the Orthodox Church in North Macedonia on September 12 expressed support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which has been banned in Ukraine under a law signed last month by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Support for the UOC was discussed at a regular session of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Macedonian Orthodox Church - Ohrid Archdiocese (MOC - OA) at which several other issues and events related to church life were discussed, the MOC- OA said in a statement.
"The Synod paid particular attention to the situation with the sister Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was administratively abolished by the Ukrainian parliament…and thus millions of believers…are denied the basic right of religious affiliation, professing one's faith, and performing religious services," the MOC-OA said.
The synod also expressed support for the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the metropolitan of Kyiv and all of Ukraine, bishops, and all the church’s faithful, saying it was praying that “the all-merciful Lord will give them the strength to persevere and overcome these trials."
Zelenskiy signed legislation into law on August 24 banning religious organizations linked to the Russian Orthodox Church from operating in Ukraine.
SEE ALSO: Zelenskiy Signs Law Banning Russian Orthodox Church In UkraineThe law states that no religious organization operating on Ukrainian territory may have an administrative center in Russia, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
The church that is recognized in Ukraine is the similarly named Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).
Ukraine has been trying to distance itself from the Russian church since 2014, but efforts intensified after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially split from the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, but Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly accused its priests of remaining loyal to Russia.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Live Briefing: Kyiv Says Moscow Used ICBMThe Russian invasion has been supported by the leader of the Orthodox Church in Russia, Patriarch Kirill, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The MOC-OA was recognized in May 2022 by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul, led by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The Serbian Orthodox Church subsequently recognized its independence.
Since its restoration in 1967, the MOC-OA had previously been internationally isolated and unrecognized by the Orthodox world.