Voice of America: Bulgarian, Macedonian Orthodox Churches Edge Closer Despite Thorny History

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has taken a step towards possible eventual recognition of Macedonia's Orthodox Church, a rapprochement that echoes a warming of relations between the governments of the two Balkan neighbors.

However, the move is unlikely to be welcomed by other Orthodox Churches such as those of Serbia and Greece, in a region where religious identity is often closely tied up with nationalist passions and politics.

The Macedonian Orthodox Church was formed when the country was part of communist Yugoslavia but has never been recognized by other Orthodox churches due to a long-standing dispute over its independence from the Serbian Orthodox Church, with which it was previously formally united.

This month, however, the Macedonian Church sent an official request to Bulgaria's 1,100-year-old Orthodox Church asking it to become its symbolic "mother" church. Bulgaria has close linguistic, cultural and historic ties with Macedonia.

In a statement on Monday the Bulgarian Orthodox Church said that "aware of its sacred duty... (it was) taking all necessary steps to establish the canonical status of the Macedonian Church."

"We must accept the outstretched hand of Macedonia," Bulgaria's Orthodox Patriarch Neofit said. "This is the least (we can do) because they are our brothers."

The move comes three months after the prime ministers of Bulgaria and Macedonia signed a friendship treaty in a move designed to end years of diplomatic wrangling and boost Macedonia's European integration.

Consultations

The Bulgarian Church's Holy Synod, its top executive body, will consult with other Eastern Orthodox churches, including those of Russia and Greece and Serbia, before announcing its final decision, it said.