During the Second World War, the Serbian Orthodox Church passed through severe trials in which many bishops, [[priest]]s, and about 700,000 [[laity|lay]] Orthodox Christians were killed by Croatian and Muslim fascists (according to the Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren). Hundreds of [[church]]es were completely destroyed or desecrated. After the Second World War the church experienced new trials under the communists, who prohibited teaching of religion in schools, confiscated the property of the church, and used various overt and covert means of persecution in order to diminish the influence the church had among the people. It was only after 1989 that the position of the church became tolerable, although church estates have not yet been returned to their lawful owners.
===In the Republic of MacedoniaSituaţia din fosta Republică Iugoslavă a Macedoniei===: ''Main articlesArticole principale: [[Macedonian Orthodox ChurchBiserica Ortodoxă a Macedoniei]], [[Autonomous Archdiocese of Arhiepiscopia Autonomă de Ohrid]]''
In În 1959, the portion of Yugoslavia known as the Republic of Patriarhia Serbiei a aprobat ca acea parte a Iugoslaviei cunoscută sub numele de Republica Macedonia was approved by the Serbian patriarchate to have its own autonomous archdiocesesă aibă propria sa arhidieceză autonomă. In Dar în 1967episcopii locali, howeveravând susținerea guvernului de atunci și a populației, with government and popular backing, the bishops of the archdiocese proclaimed themselves to be an au proclamat unilateral [[autocephalyautocefalie|autocephalousautocefalia]] churcharhiepiscopiei, styled the sub numele de [[Macedonian Orthodox ChurchBiserica Ortodoxă a Macedoniei]], to the protests of the patriarchateîn ciuda protestelor Patriarhiei Serbiei. The autocephaly of this church has not been recognized by any of the other Orthodox churchesAutocefalia acestei Biserici nu a fost recunoscută oficial de nici una dintre Bisericile Ortodoxe care au întrerupt intercomuniunea cu aceasta (în general, who have broken off communion with it (though its laity are usually received into communionmirenii sunt totuși primiți în comuniune).
In În 2002, at the invitation of the patriarchate, one of the bishops of the breakaway groupla invitația Patriarhiei, unul dintre episcopii din această grupare [[Jovan (Vraniskovski) of de Ohrid|Jovan (Vraniskovski)]] (then Metropolitan of atunci Mitropolit de Veles and the Vardar Valleyși Valea Vardarului)a intrat sub ascultarea Patriarhiei sârbe, came into union with the Serbian patriarchate, which thus reestablished its care și-a restabilit astfel [[Autonomous Archdiocese of Arhiepiscopia Autonomă de Ohrid]], which is the canonically recognized Orthodox church in the Republic of care a devenit astfel jurisdicția ortodoxă canonic recunoscută din Republica Macedonia. Tensions between the breakaway group and the patriarchate remain highTensiunile între gruparea independentistă și Patriarhia sârbă rămân puternice. Astfel, and Archbishop IPS Jovan, who was made head of the autonomous archdiocesenumit întâistătător al arhiepiscopiei autonome, was imprisoned for eighteen months by local authorities for allegedly criminal activitiesa fost condamnat la 18 luni închisoare pentru presupuse activități criminale. The breakaway church has government backingBiserica autoproclamată autocefală are susținerea autorităților de stat din Republica Macedonia, and so the activities of the autonomous archdiocese are subject to persecution by the authoritiesastfel încât lucrările Arhiepiscopiei autonome fac obiectul persecuțiilor guvernamentale.
== Structure of the patriarchate ==