EASTERN CHURCHES. 



273 



the Church statute. An active discussion took 

 place in this assembly between those who ad- 

 vocated the application of the regulations of 

 the old Greek Church to the new Church and 

 the "Young Church " party, who favored the 

 introduction of an evangelical Presbyterian- 

 ism. The principal journals of u Young Bul- 

 garia," the Macedonia, of Slavejkov, taking 

 the lead, supported the party of progress. 

 After a long debate, measures were agreed up- 

 on for the participation of the laity in the ad- 

 ministration of the affairs of the Church, the 

 establishment of the salaries of the higher and 

 the lower clergy, and the exclusive applica- 

 tion of all surplus of ecclesiastical taxes to the 

 elevation of popular instruction and the estab- 

 lishment of higher schools. It was decided 

 also, by a vote of 28 to 15, that the Exarch 

 should be appointed, not for life, but for a 

 term of five years. The place where he should 

 reside was left an open question, almost equal- 

 ly strong reasons being presented in favor of 

 his residence at Constantinople, and in one of 

 the large towns near the centre of the ex- 

 archate. The ratification of the Church stat- 

 ute was completed on May 26, 1871, and was 

 delivered to the Grand- Vizier, Aali Pacha, by 

 a committee of three members of the Nation- 

 al Assembly, Hadschi Ivantschov, Pentschov 

 Gjordaki, and Dr. Tschomakov. 



But the Greek Patriarch, incited by Russian 

 influence, had come forward in opposition to 

 the Sultan's well-intended measures for his 

 Bulgarian subjects, with the demand that the 

 Bulgarian-Greek Church conflict should not 

 be regarded as an administrative question, but 

 as one of canon law, and that it should be left 

 to the exclusive decision of an oecumenical 

 council. He protested against all the acts of 

 the Bulgarian National Assembly as uncanoni- 

 cal and unconstitutional. The patriarchate 

 would be sure of a majority in the contem- 

 plated oecumenical council. The Bulgarian 

 ecclesiastical dignitaries would be easily si- 

 lenced by the numerous Hellenic bishops of 

 the Greek Churches of Constantinople, Jeru- 

 salem, Alexandria, Antioch, and Cyprus, and 

 the continued Hellenization of the Bulgarian 

 people would receive the canonical approba- 

 tion of the council, against which, as the Pa- 

 triarch had said to Aali Pacha, there is no ap- 

 peal. In the mean time, the Patriarch Gregory 

 VI. had laid himself open to censure by his 

 undissembled animosity against the Slavic 

 people and his opposition to the commands of 

 the court* Attacked both from Belgrade and 

 Constantinople, he had no alternative but to 

 accept the suggestion of Aali Pacha, and resign 

 the patriarchate. Antim Kutulianus succeeded 

 him on the 18th of September. Being of a 

 more conciliatory disposition than his prede- 

 cessor, he sought as early as October to engage 

 in negotiations with influential Bulgarians for 

 a compromise of difficulties. These negotia- 

 tions have been quite frank in their character, 

 but, from what has transpired respecting them, 

 VOL. XL 18 A 



they do not seem likely to allay the long-in- 

 creasing division in the Church. Antim in- 

 sists upon giving the patriarchate control of 

 the appointment of the Bulgarian Exarch, upon 

 the levy of a tax of a piaster upon each Bul- 

 garian household, and upon the repeal of the 

 tenth section of the Sultan's firman which 

 permits districts with a mixed population of 

 Greeks and Bulgarians to be attached to the 

 Bulgarian exarchate upon the vote of two- 

 thirds. 



The opposition of the patriarchate to' this 

 paragraph is easily explained, since it violates a 

 principle and threatens it with a serious loss of 

 moral and material power which it is not well 

 able to bear, since the Servian and Roumanian 

 churches have been cut off from their depend- 

 ence. On the other hand, it is natural 

 that the Bulgarians should insist upon its 

 being retained, as its operation will be to pro- 

 mote the continual growth of their exarchate 

 in territory and power. Members of the Bul- 

 garian National Assembly, among them the 

 deputies from Adrian ople, Rutchuk, etc., and 

 the Bulgarian community at Constantinople, 

 have protested earnestly against further con- 

 tinuance of the negotiations with the Patriarch 

 on this basis, to which he adheres obstinately. 

 The decision on the whole subject, however, 

 rests solely with the Porte. 



The adjustment of this apparently irrecon- 

 cilable conflict between the Greeks and the 

 Bulgarians will require the most skilful efforts 

 of the ablest diplomats of the Porte ; or it 

 may have to be put off to some future time. 



The movement which was started a few 

 years ago, with much zeal, for the union of the 

 Bulgarian and Roman Catholic Churches, re- 

 mains confessedly in an incomplete state. It 

 in fact made no real progress, after the signing 

 of the act of union neajk the end of the year 

 I860. The Catholic bishop, Sofoloski, and the 

 majority of the congregations which went over, 

 have withdrawn from the union ; those which 

 yet hold out do not promise much steadfast- 

 ness in the face of the persuasions and the 

 pressure to which they are subjected. Besides 

 the small unionist congregation in the city of 

 Adrianople, there are in the adjoining province 

 only a few scattered communities which ad- 

 here to Rome, and the missions of the Lazarists, 

 Passionists, etc., in the neighboring provinces, 

 are able to present only the scantiest evidences; 

 of success. At present there are not, in all, 

 more than 60,000 Roman Catholic, or united 1 

 Bulgarians, to 5,000,000 disunited Bulgarians.. 



An awakening to new life is reported in< 

 the Greek churches at Athens. Sunday-schools- 

 have been organized in the various parishes;: 

 and the synod has requested theological stu- 

 dents to preach whenever and wherever they 

 have the opportunity. The Orthodox Review, ai 

 semi-monthly periodical, edited by one of the- 

 theological professors in the University of 

 Athens, has undertaken the advocacy of 'ad- 

 vance, and has announced as the principle*- for- 



