Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand
Diocese of Australia and New Zealand Австралиско-Новозеландска Епархија | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Territory | Australia, New Zealand |
| Headquarters | North Macedonia |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Eastern Orthodox |
| Established | 1981 |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Petar |
| Website | |
| MOC Diocese of Australia and New Zealand | |
The Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (Macedonian: Австралиско-Новозеландска Епархија) is one of 10 dioceses of the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC).[1] There are some 27 MOC churches in Australia. Almost half are under the Macedonian Orthodox diocese headed by Metropolitan Petar.[2][1]
History
[edit]The Macedonian Orthodox Church created its first diocese in 1967 for Macedonian diaspora communities that covered Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.[2] By 1981, the MOC split the diocese into two parts creating a diocese for Canada and the United States and another diocese for Australia and New Zealand.[2] The diocese for Australia and New Zealand is headquartered in Melbourne.[2] Metropolitan Tomotej of Debar-Kičevo served as its first administrator, succeeded in 1995 by Metropolitan Petar of Prespa-Pelagonija who has served in the role till present.[2] The structure of the diocese is split into a number of regencies that are split as municipalities and church parishes.[2] Regencies belonging to the archpriest are within Sydney (17 churches) and Melbourne (9 churches).[2] Close to Melbourne and in the vicinity of King Lake, St. Kliment Ohridski - Chudotvorec is the first monastery founded in Australia by the Macedonian community.[2]
Over some two decades the diocese experienced internal divisions regarding the matter of property ownership.[2] In the context of Australian law, a sizable number of parishioners view themselves and not the MOC as owners of properties and churches in the country.[2] During early 2012, people representing the parishes and municipalities who refuse Metropolitan Petar's legitimacy entered into negotiations with the MOC.[2] Both sides agreed to a short-term solution which acknowledged each other.[2] One group would be part of the jurisdiction of Metropolitan Petar and the other under the MOC and its Synod.[2] The MOC synod convened a meeting whose outcome resulted in Metropolitan Timothy becoming the overseer of Macedonian parishes who do not support Metropolitan Petar in Australia.[2] The number of parishes under Metropolitan Petar are 13.[2] Both sides agreed to put on hold any legal processes in order to allow for time to reach a solution over a period of 3 years.[2] In the late 2010s the situation had become formalised and the churches under Metropolitan Timothy are organised as the Macedonian Orthodox Diocese of Australia - Sydney.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Macedonian Orthodox Church today". www.mpc.org.mk. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Cepreganov, Todor; Angelovska-Panova, Maja; Zajkovski, Dragan (2014). "The Macedonian Orthodox Church". In Leustean, Lucian N. (ed.). Eastern Christianity and politics in the twenty-first century. Routledge. pp. 434–435. ISBN 9781317818656.
- ^ Trajanovski, Aleksandar (2017). "Restoration of the St. Clement's Ohrid Archbishopric-Patriarchate as the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Ohrid Archbishopric". Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe. 37 (4): 32.