Serbian Orthodox Face Problems In Macedonia

The Christian Science Monitor yesterday reported on the severe problems faced by the the Serbian Orthodox Church in Macedonia. Its followers meet in secrecy in Skopje. The Macedonian chapter of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights last month after Macedonia's highest court upheld a law barring the Serbian Orthodox Church from functioning in Macedonia. The dispute centers around controversial Archbishop Jovan Vraniskovski who broke with the Macedonian Orthodox Church in July 2002. He has previously been jailed for his religious activities, but is also charged with financial misconduct from 2001 and 2002 when he was still affiliated with the Macedonian Orthodox Church. (See prior related posting.)