Serbian Orthodox Church cooperation and frictions with Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Bulgarian Exarchate during interwar period (original) (raw)

The Serbian Orthodox Church had a supportive role for the Yugoslav Foreign Policy and diplomatic actions in the interwar period, as it was helping the international activities of the Kingdom of Serbia until 1918. Mutual state and church actions toward the Ecumenical Patriarchy aimed to reorganise the Serbian Orthodox Church in the new kingdom’s boundaries and protection of Patriarchy’s position in Turkish republic. Frictions were emerging, while the new Serbian Patriarchy was backing Yugoslav interests in allied Czechoslovakia and against Italian penetration into the Balkans, as well as in competition for greater prestige among other orthodox churches. The relations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and Bulgarian Exarchate were determined by the Yugoslav-Bulgarian state relations, mainly concerning the Macedonian question. Since 1932 the two churches had been acting as a vanguard for rapprochement among the two nations and kingdoms.