A hierarch of the Macedonian Orthodox Church has challenged the Patriarchate of Constantinople's right to grant autocephaly unilaterally

Metropolitan Gregory of Kumanovo and Osogovo of the Macedonian Orthodox Church criticized the policies of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, stating that the Phanar lacks the canonical authority to grant autocephaly unilaterally. The hierarch of the Archdiocese of Ohrid accused Constantinople of “judicial activism” and of acting to serve political interests that undermine the established church order.

In his canonical analysis at , Archbishop Gregory emphasized that the process of obtaining autocephalous status is strictly regulated by the decisions of the Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Commissions in Chambésy. According to these norms, the right to grant autocephaly belongs exclusively to the Mother Church, after which the decision must receive pan-Orthodox recognition. As an example of the legitimacy of the process, he cited the presentation of the Tomos to the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC–OA) by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2022.

The metropolitan paid particular attention to the situation in Ukraine. According to him, the Tomos issued by Constantinople to the OCU contradicts pre-Council agreements, which, from the standpoint of canon law, nullifies the legal validity of such acts. His Eminence noted that, according to “the Patriarch of Constantinople is not an authority empowered to unilaterally decide matters of autocephaly outside his jurisdiction.”

In conclusion, the hierarch warned of the danger of creating an institution of an “Orthodox pope,” in which a single throne seeks to establish “supreme jurisdiction” over all Local Churches. At present, the Patriarchate of Constantinople continues to insist on its position, ignoring the documents issued by the Serbian Church and demanding that the hierarchs in Skopje change the historical name of their Church.

It should be recalled that recently, the Macedonian Orthodox Church—Ohrid Archbishopric (MOC-OA) refused to allow Bishop Epiphanius (Dimitriou) of Examilia to concelebrate. The incident stemmed from the unwillingness of the hierarchs of the MOC-OA to recognize the episcopal ordination of the bishop, who had been installed by the OCU