256 



EASTEEN CHURCHES. 



nny thing else but the sanction of a concordat between 

 the patriarchate and the Bulgarians, we would re- 

 spect and accept it. Unfortunately, however, matters 

 are different. As it decides on Church matters, and 

 as such decision is in contradiction with the canons, 

 and does deadly injury to the rights and privileges 

 of our holy see, the patriarchate cannot accept the 

 ultimatum of the imperial Government. Highness ! 

 as the Bulgarians are unwilling to listen to the voice 

 of the reconciliation which we are aiming at ; as, 

 furthermore, the imperial Government is not compe- 

 tent to solve a Church question in an irrevocable 

 manner ; as, finally, this abnormal condition of affairs 

 injures an.d compromits ancient rights the (Ecumen- 

 ical Patriarchate renews its prayer that the imperial 

 Government may grant the convocation of an oecu- 

 menical councilj which is alone entitled to designate 

 the lawful solution of this question, binding for both 

 parts. We furthermore supplicate the imperial Gov- 

 ernment to adopt proper measures for the suppression 

 of the disorder which threatens the peace among our 

 flock, and which is mainly attributable to the circu- 

 lars of the Bulgarian leaders, dated the 15th instant. 

 The (Ecumenical Patriarchate hands its protest 

 against these disturbances to the imperial Govern- 

 ment. 



Written and given in our patriarchal residence, on 

 the 24th of March (old stvle), 1870. 



(Signed) GKEGOKY CONSTANTINE, Patriarch. 

 (Countersigned) All the members of the Holy Sy- 

 nod. 



On April 20th (old style, 7th of April) the 

 Patriarch Gregory again wrote to the Grand- 

 Vizier in reply to his justification of the Bul- 

 garian firman. He protested against the name 

 " Bulgarian Church," saying that there is only 

 one indivisible and universal apostolic Church, 

 to which several nations adhere, but the indi- 

 visibility of which had been ordained directly 

 by the Holy Ghost, like all the laws for the 

 administration of the Church. He further- 

 more said that it was impossible for him to 

 recognize a regulation which had been set up 

 with the cooperation of laymen, as the latter 

 are incompetent in religious matters. He said 

 that he had not neglected to call the attention 

 of Aali Pacha, during the preliminary delibera- 

 tions, to the firman in question. But as Aali 

 Pacha, being a layman, could not decide upon 

 religious affairs, and as he, in the capacity of 

 Patriarch, could not recede one inch from the 

 canons of the Church, he must insist upon the 

 convocation of an ecumenical council, alone 

 competent to decide the question at issue. As 

 the supplication which he had sent in to the 

 Grand-Vizier for that purpose belonged ex- 

 clusively to the province of ecclesiastical af- 

 fairs, and had nothing whatever to do with 

 politics, he begged to reiterate his prayer for 

 its sanction. The Bulgarian committee, on 

 the other hand, issued a circular in which the 

 solution of the question by the firman was de- 

 clared to be entirely satisfactory, and corre- 

 sponding with their just demands. They 

 pointed out that the principal demand of the 

 Orthodox Bulgarians had been, that their 

 church and bishoprics should be intrusted to 

 a clergy familiar with the Bulgarian language, 

 and that they did not understand how the pa- 

 triarchate could designate as unevangelical so 

 legitimate a desire. 



The Patriarch Gregory insisted upon his dis- 

 missal. In a letter to the Grand-Vizier, he 

 declared the convocation of an oecumenical 

 council to be indispensable, remarking that, 

 should the convocation not be granted or in 

 any way interfered with, he would be unable 

 to discharge the duties of his holy oifice any 

 longer. In his reply, Aali Pacha endeavored 

 to induce the Patriarch to desist from his de- 

 mand, saying that he was unable to see the ne- 

 cessity of convoking an oecumenical council 

 for the solution of a purely administrative 

 question, like the Bulgarian, while no such 

 council had been convened for many centuries, 

 although questions of far greater importance 

 had been at issue from time to time. Should 

 the Bulgarians, however, make an illicit use of 

 the concessions granted, them, the Sublime 

 Porte would not hesitate to resort to energetic 

 measures against them. But these promises, 

 which were supposed to be given in order to 

 avert the interference of Eussia, did not prove 

 satisfactory to the patriarchate. The twelve 

 bishops of the Synod of Constantinople conse- 

 quently sent a synodic letter to the Sublime 

 Porte, in which they implore the Imperial 

 Government to settle the Bulgarian question 

 on the basis proposed by the Patriarch in 1869. 

 This, they contended, would be the only way to 

 preserve to the church a patriarch so much es- 

 teemed as Gregory, and to suppress the dis- 

 turbances, which had been created by the Bul- 

 garians in the capital as well as in the prov- 

 inces. 



This remonstrance apparently made a deep 

 impression in Constantinople. The Grand- 

 Vizier, whether actually convinced of the right 

 of the Church to convene an oecumenical syn- 

 od for the solution of the Bulgarian question, 

 or actuated by motives of policy, sent a minis- 

 terial rescript to the patriarchate, by which he 

 requested the latter to send to the Sublime Porte 

 a programme of the questions to be discussed 

 by the oecumenical synod, in order that it 

 might obtain the imperial sanction. The un- 

 willingness of the Porte to allow the question 

 to be reopened, and the reluctance of the 

 Eussian Synod to take part in the dispute, 

 were thus apparently overcome. Under date 

 of November 15th, the Grand-Vizier ac- 

 knowledges the receipt of another communica- 

 tion from the patriarchate and of a synodical 

 letter or mazbata from the Metropolitans, con- 

 firmatory of the " tarkir " of his holiness ; and 

 expresses the hope that the caution and mod- 

 eration of the Sublime Porte, in dealing with 

 a question so subtle and delicate, and which 

 has been the cause of incessant differences be- 

 tween two parties, both subjects of the empire, 

 will be acknowledged and appreciated. While 

 the Government of the Sultan will remain true 

 to its former policy in regard to church ques- 

 tions, it will continue to watch for the preven- 

 tion of all abuse, and for the suppression of all 

 disturbances, from whatever quarter they may 

 come. And, although the Government has not 



