→ the source document including the signatures of all the priests of the metropolis

HOLY METROPOLIS OF VELES AND POVARDARJE
VELES 1400

Protocol No 101 from 20.06.2002

We, the clergymen of the Holy Metropolis of Veles and Povardarje support our Metropolitan kyr John in the efforts he makes for the unity of the Church of God and we agree that our Holy Metropolis enters the canonical and liturgical unity with the other Orthodox Churches, without altering anything of the current liturgical and canonical order.

As a Metropolis, we represent a full Catholic and Apostolic Church without any defect because we fulfil the conditions for preserving the structure of the Church, which is: we have a bishop, a priest, a deacon and God’s congregation, and we also have apostolic primacy which is certainly an indispensable condition for being recognized as an Orthodox Church. Yet, what is equally important for a Metropolis to be a full catholic Church is that it should be in canonical and liturgical unity with the other Orthodox Metropolises. Until now we have not fulfilled this and we have been called schismatic by the neighbouring Metropolitans. We agree to change this situation because the unity of the Church is not an addition but an essence of the Christian life.

Our faith and our Church is supranational, which, of course, does not mean that it is not also national. It is a historical given that most of the congregation of our Holy Metropolis is Macedonian by birth, but that is a biological feature acquired by birth and it neither adds to one’s happiness nor does it reduce it. The genuine happiness is to meet God for Whom all nations and all people are equal. Therefore, we consider that a Church which will not rise above the biological features of a man and will not direct mankind towards the eternal values and towards the life in the Kingdom of God where there will be neither Jew nor Greek, is not much different much from the political parties and religious sects.

For all these reasons, we find that it is essential for the future of our holy Metropolis to seize this God-given moment for entering liturgical and canonical unity with the other Orthodox Churches, thereby without renouncing our autocephaly which is the identity of every local Church with a bishop at its head.


the source document including the signatures of all the priests of the metropolis