Orthodox Christians Protested in Front of FYROM’s Embassy in Washington DC

in FYROM Human Rights, FYROM news, Religious Discrimination / by D-Mak / on June 6, 2012 at 10:37 pm /

On 31 May, in front of FYROM’s Embassy to the USA in Washington DC, Orthodox Christians held a protest rally demanding that FYROM’s government unconditionally release Metropolitan-Archbishop Jovan Vraniškovski of Ohrid and Skopje from prison.

They also demanded an immediate end to prosecutions on religious grounds, the ending of all actions against bishops, monastics, clergy, and believers of the SPC Autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid, as well as demanding that the FYROM’s state immediately register the SPC body as a legitimate religious organisation.

The rally was cleared with DC authorities. The protestors stood with lit candles during a prayer for the believers in the Archbishopric of Ohrid as they face persecution from state authorities.

The passed out leaflets to passers-by, summarising the decade-long persecution by the separatist authorities of FYROM, in their attempt to favour the so-called “Macedonian Orthodox Church” over the believers of the canonical Church in the country. Another such rally will be held in front of the US Department of State.

In late May, the press service of the SPC announced a wave of arrests of clergy in the autonomous Ohrid Archbishopric in FYROM, saying, “we wish to inform you and the international community that yesterday, 21 May 2012, at 07.00 CET, major police elements forcibly broke into many monasteries and homes of believers in the Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric”.

As the SPC press service reported, in Štip, the police conducted a search for Bishop Marko Kimev of Bregalnica and Administrator of Bitola {St John Maximovich taught in the seminary at Bitola when he was a hieromonk: editor}; they arrested Mother Pelagia when they couldn’t find him. In Skopje, many policemen entered the Convent of the Assumption of the Mother of God, looking for Bishop David Ninov of Stobi and Administrator of Strumica; since they didn’t find him, they arrested the abbess, Mother Kirana.

The police brutalised the nuns, robbed them of their mobile phones, and harassed them by carrying out a cold-blooded search of the premises, filming everything with a video camera.

In addition, the police entered the Convent of St John Chrysostom in Bitola, looking for the superior, Mother Olimpiada; because they couldn’t find her, they rudely harassed the rest of sisterhood. The police also entered the Monastery of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Prilep and arrested Hieromonk Mojsej.

The Autonomous Archbishopric of Ohrid is an integral part of the SPC, carrying out the Church’s mission in the present-day FYROM. Currently, the authorities have imprisoned its First Hierarch, Metropolitan-Archbishop Jovan Vraniškovski.

Source: 02varvara.wordpress.com

The word FYROM is used solely by the blog and not by the original source