Diocese of Macedonia

The Diocese of Macedonia (Latin: Dioecesis Macedoniae, Greek: Διοίκησις Μακεδονίας) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, forming part of the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum. Its administrative centre was Thessaloniki.

The diocese was formed, probably under Constantine I (r. 306–337), from the division of the Diocletianian Diocese of Moesia. It included the provinces of Macedonia Prima, Macedonia Secunda or Salutaris (periodically abolished), Thessalia, Epirus vetus, Epirus nova, Achaea, and Crete. Alongside Dacia and, up until 379, Pannonia, it made up the Prefecture of Illyricum. In 379, Pannonia was detached and merged into the Praetorian prefecture of Italy and Thessaloniki became the Prefecture's new capital city instead of Sirmium.

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See also

Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric

The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric (abbreviated: MOC-OA) or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (Macedonian: Македонска Православна Црква - Охридска Архиепископија; transliteration: Makedonska Pravoslavna Crkva - Ohridska Arhiepiskopija) is the body of Christians who are united under the Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia, exercising jurisdiction over Macedonian Orthodox Christians in the Republic of Macedonia and in exarchates in the Macedonian diaspora.

In 1959, the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church afforded autonomy to the Orthodox Church in the-then Socialist Republic of Macedonia as the restoration of the historic Archbishopric of Ohrid, and it remained in canonical unity with the Serbian Church under their Patriarch. In 1967, on the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, the Macedonian Church unilaterally announced its autocephaly and independence from the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian Holy Synod denounced the decision and condemned the clergy as schismatic. Thenceforth, the Macedonian Church has remained unrecognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and all the other canonical Orthodox churches in defense of Serbian opposition.

Nikodim Tsarknias

Nikodim Tsarknias (Greek: Νικόδημος Τσαρκνιάς, Macedonian: Никодим Царкњас, born 1942 in Aridaia) is an ethnic Macedonian Orthodox Christian monk and self-declared Archimandrite who originates from the Greek region of Macedonia. In 1973 he was an ordained as a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, but was expelled for misconduct in 1991.

The reasons for his expulsion are disputed. The Church of Greece accused him of serious ethical misconduct, and after a decision of the Holy Synod he was brought to ecclesiastical justice. He was found guilty by both the first-instance court and the ecclesiastical court of appeals, and he was then dismissed on March 11, 1992.

According to Tsarknias and ethnic Macedonian sources, when he was a personal secretary to the Florina diocese's bishop, he opposed what he saw as an attempt by the Bishop to eradicate ethnic Macedonian religious customs. It is argued that, in 1991, after declaring his Slavo-Macedonian identity and communicating with parishioners in the Macedonian language he was dismissed from his ecclesiastical post in the diocese of Florina; the Church of Greece argues, however, that Tsarknias declared his Slavo-Macedonian identity only after the accusations for ethical and sexual misconduct (homosexuality).

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, also referred to as the Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Orthodoxy, is the second largest Christian Church in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is one of the oldest religious institutions in the world, teaching that it is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission to the apostles, and practicing what it understands to be the original faith passed down from the Apostles.

United in communion with the Latin Church before the East–West Schism in 1054, and with the Oriental churches for the first quarter of its history, Eastern Orthodoxy spread throughout the Roman and later Byzantine Empires and beyond, playing a prominent role in European, Near Eastern, Slavic, and some African cultures. Its most prominent episcopal see is Constantinople.

Eastern Orthodoxy has no Papacy or similar authority, but instead teaches that all bishops are equal by virtue of their ordination, and each autocephalous church is typically governed by a Holy Synod. This is one of the main reasons for the division between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The commonly-used but unofficial designation "Eastern" derives from the geographical location of the main centers of Orthodoxy in relation to the "Western" churches (now known as the Roman Catholic Church), and from Constantinople being the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Macedonian

Macedonian may refer to someone or something from or related to Macedonia, in any of several meanings of that term. More specifically, it may refer to:

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