Russians by signing (p. 288), and by twenty-five metropolitans and bishops. It has never been repealed, and so the Bulgars are still in open schism with Constantinople. In 1878 the Berlln Congress established the almost independent Principality of Bulgaria. In the other cases (Servia and Roumania), as we shall see, the Balkan States have at once set up an autocephalous Church to cover their territory. In this case it was not necessary, as the Exarchate already existed. So the Orthodox Church in communion, not with the Greek Patriarch but with the Bulgarian Exarch, was declared the State religion of the new principality; and when, in 1885, Eastern Roumelia was added to Bulgaria, the Exarchate was established there, too. But it is still not shut in by the Bulgarian State. The Exarch lives at Constantinople, and rules, not only over the Church of the principality, but over his communion throughout Macedonia and Thrace as well. The first Exarch was one Anthimos, his successor now is Lord Joseph.[1] In the principality there is the usual Holy Synod, sitting at Sofia. As the Exarch lives at Constantinople, he appoints one of the bishops (at present Lord Gregory of Rustšuk) to be his vicar and representative. In the principality are eleven sees; in Macedonia and Thrace the Bulgars have set up twenty-one sees, nearly all of which are rivals of Greek dioceses in the same towns. So throughout Turkey the Orthodox are now divided into two rival communions: the Patriarchists, who stand by the Patriarch of Constantinople—that is, all the Greeks, most Roumans and Albanians (as far as they are Orthodox),[2] and a few Bulgars who
- ↑ Professor Gelzer publishes an interesting account of his interview with the Exarch Joseph in his Geistliches u. Weltliches, p. iii, seq. See also his very clear and temperate account of the whole quarrel (ibid.).
- ↑ The Albanians are the only Balkan people whose national feeling is confused by no theological side issue. They call themselves Skipetars (the Greeks call them Ἀλβανίτοι), and consist of two great tribes, the Gega in the north, and the Toska in the south. They speak a very interesting Aryan language, which they try to express sometimes in Greek and sometimes in Latin letters (there is now a great movement in favour of their language throughout Albania, a newspaper is printed in it in Italy, and there is a chair of Albanian at Vienna). As regards religion, most of them are Moslems, who, however, still keep many Christian customs; there are some Orthodox (Patriarchists), and, in the north, very many Catholics, taught and cared for by heroic Fran-
