Attempts at mending the Greek-Bulgarian Ecclesiastical Schism (1875-1902)

Abstract

On the basis of new documentary evidence, the author traces the hitherto
little-known efforts, at various stages, to bring about a solution to the Greek-
Bulgarian ecclesiastical schism of 1872.
Such efforts were made, at times, by all sides concerned : the Greeks, the
Bulgarians and, especially, the Russians. The latter, who had played a leading
rôle in the establishment of the independent Bulgárián Church, had become
aware of the schism’s long-term drawbacks with respect to their own Eastern
policy objectives.
Nevertheless, efforts at réconciliation, prompted mainly by politicai
considérations, encountered strong opposition within the Greek and Bulgárián
leading circles. Moreover, public opinion, already polarized on account
of the feud over Thrace and Macedonia, was generally antagonistic to concessions
for lifting the schism.
On the Greek side, the documents reveal différences of approach and
orientation between the représentatives of the Greek state and the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, particularly during the years when Joachim III was patriarch.
The faillure of the off-and-on efforts and negotiations over a period of
approximately thirty years was the resuit of the growing nationalistic antagonism
of the two protagoniste, who viewed with each other to secure their respective
national goals the moment the Ottoman Empire crumbled into ruins.