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Public Statement of the Macedonian Orthodox Church ( 23.04.2009 )

The Holy Hierarch’s Synod of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, with great regret received the news about the act of exclusion of the Religion Science from the education program in Primary Schools in the Republic of Macedonia. Particularly, because it happened just a few days prior to the celebration of the greatest Christian feast – The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in parallel at the end of this school year. A big damage has been caused with such decision, first of all to the children who, together with their parents voluntarily accepted the studying of this school subject.

The explanation that our state is by definition a secular one, thus, there is no need of God and His teaching in our school, is incomprehensible and unreasonable, particularly if we have on mind that exactly the literacy and education of our people originated from our Church. People from the Church created our alphabet; our First University was governed by our Saint Clement and Nahum, and in the times when Macedonia was under occupation, our churches and monasteries together with the Church-school’s councils were not only custodian of our national identity, but centres for education and science and literacy as well. Therefore, our highest scientific institutions, the Universities in Skopje and Bitola carry the names of our Church’s teachers and educators. From this reason, the secularity of the state, doesn’t understand by itself, excluding of the Church from the existence of state, but opposite, common cooperation whenever in common interest, and the Religion Science is continuation of our tradition of close relationship between the state and the Church. This, for the benefit of all Macedonian citizens.

The Religion Science is not any religious propaganda, or it never had any intention to create passionate believers from the kids, particularly not religious fanatics, but to present the basic genuineness of the Faith in God and of Church to the children. Religious freedom and rights are ones of the basic rights, guaranteed by the Constitution and positive Laws of the country, so that, with this embargo against the Religion Science education, exactly such rights have been violated. Religion Science does not violate the secularity of state, as it is experienced, in different forms, in many states of Europe and all over the world. The churches and other religious communities are an integral part of the society, and their activities are not out of the constitution, in any case. However, if the opportunity to receive the real acknowledgement of the religious facts has been prohibited, then various forms of false notion and superstition occur, and they are really baneful to all the citizens and the state as well.

Therefore, Macedonian Orthodox Church will continue insisting such Religion Science education to become a part of the educational system in the Republic of Macedonia, and to enable our children to become acquainted in a better and real manner with our Church and religion.

In this occasion, tomorrow, at the Eastern Friday Holiday, at 12.00, all the churches and monastery temples of the Macedonian Orthodox Church will ring the bells, in an aim to call the consciousness of those trying to separate God from our children, as Jesus Christ our God called them: “Let the children to come to Me…and you be as them.” (Save those little ones…because the Kingdom of Heaven belong to them…”)

             The Office of the Holy Archpriest’s Synod of MOC