Greece Continues to Obstruct Religious Freedom of Macedonians

UMD is appalled by the ongoing religious discrimination faced by indigenous ethnic Macedonians in Aegean Macedonia / northern Greece, and demands a reversal of this inhumane policy. Last year, the Greek Tax Revenue Office in Voden (Edessa) fined Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias, an ethnic Macedonian priest, on the false pretext that he had failed to declare revenue on his annual tax…

U.S. Flag Flown Above Congress Honoring Macedonian Metropolitan Kiril

U.S. Flag Flown Above Congress Honoring Macedonian Metropolitan Kiril

The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) is pleased to inform the public of a very historic occasion for the Macedonian-American community and the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Today, Congresswoman Candice Miller (Republican-Michigan), Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Macedonia and Macedonian-Americans, arranged for the American flag to be flown above the U.S. Capitol Building in honor of Polosko-Kumanovski Metropolitan Kiril. UMD notes…

UMD Mourns Loss of Macedonian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Kiril

UMD Mourns Loss of Macedonian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Kiril

The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) is saddened to have learned about the passing of Polosko-Kumanovski Metropolitan Kiril of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric. “Bishop Kiril was one of the pillars of the Macedonian Orthodox Church and our national movement, not only at home but abroad, one of the most well-respected Bishops by the Diaspora. His loss is a…

NEW UMD REPORT: Detailing the Systemic Abuse of Religious Freedoms in Greece

The United Macedonian Diaspora (UMD) announced the publication of its new report: Greece: Religious Freedom Abuses – The Case of the Macedonian Orthodox Christian Minority.  The report outlines the culture of abuse inherent to the Greek legal system concerning the lack of religious freedom, and it outlines the grievances of recent immigrants, the historic Turkish minority in Thrace, and the…

Archimandrite Tsarknias Meets U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom

Archimandrite Tsarknias Meets U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom

On October 23, 2012, Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias, the religious leader of the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Greece, met with Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the U.S. Department of State.  Archimandrite Tsarknias brought to Ambassador Johnson Cook’s attention the challenges of the Macedonian Orthodox faith community in Greece and the Greek government’s long-standing policy…