The Serbian Orthodox Church announced on Tuesday that it would recognize the Church of North Macedonia’s independence, putting an end to decades of isolation for Orthodox worshippers in the small Balkan country.

In 1967, the Macedonian Church seceded from the Serbian Orthodox Church, a decision supported by then-Yugoslavia in order to strengthen Macedonian national identity.

But the decision was never accepted by the Serbian Church or the rest of the Orthodox world.

Serbia’s failure to recognize the Macedonian church was seen as a negation of Macedonian identity.

But following a reconciliation mass in Skopje, the head of the Serbian Church stunned worshippers by declaring “unanimous” support for the independence of the disputed religious body.

“The council of our Church blesses, approves, accepts and recognizes” the move, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije said.

The two Churches will now hammer out the technical details. The official act will then be published, and all Orthodox Churches will be called to accept the decision, Porfirije said.

North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski applauded the “correction of historical injustices” and called on Istanbul’s Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew to sign an official decree that would grant the Church formal independence.

The reconciliation comes after Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, made a similar move earlier this month.

It also comes amid Orthodox Church tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, though the reason for Serbia’s move was not immediately clear.