The Holy Synod of Greece’s Autocephalous Orthodox Church on Wednesday waded into the political sphere, with top clerics saying they reject the use of the name “Macedonia” for any future name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM).
Although the Holy Synod’s position has no official weight, the Orthodox Church in Greece wields enormous influence.
A statement later called on the leftist-rightist coalition government to “understand the (Holy Synod’s) concern… which is a concern of all Hellenism around the world.”
One concern voiced by the ecclesiastical council is that the use of the term “Macedonia” would have repercussions on standing issue of the name and jurisdiction of the primary Christian Orthodox denomination in the neighboring country, which is not recognized by other Orthodox Churches because it is considered by the Serbian Church as schismatic.
