The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-12
RELIGION IN THE BALKANS
THE OUTLOOK FOR CATHOLICS.

The struggle between the Christian
West and Islam began with the inva-
sion of the Mongols, about the year
1880 A. d. The Turks, who were liv-
ing in the country to the southeast
of the Sea of Aral, were thus driven
towards the west They numbered
about $4,000 souls. Gradually, writes
Elise FURY in the Catholic Times,
they spread over Asia Minor and
Brussa became their capital. They
made great progress under Osman,
who ruled from 1281-1326; and from
whom the Empire took it's name.
Soon Asia Minor was too restricted a
place for them and they conquered
Galipoli. Murad l extended his en-
pire as far as Adrianople. In 1889 he
overcame the Serbs, and three years
later his successor, Bajasid, conquered
and broke up the kingdom of Bulgaria.
He continued his victorious march
with irresistible force, conquered
Macedonia, Thessaly, and Hellas.
Sigismund, King of Hungary, led
against him crusade which counted
in its ranks the flower of German and
French knighthood. Bajasid beat the
crusaders at Nicopolis, and boosted
that soon his horses would eat their
oats in the rooms of the Vatican. But
things changed. Bajasid was beaten
by the Tartars at the battle of An
CORA. A few years later he died in
prison. To the fact that the Tartars
did not know how to utilize their vic
tory, the Turkish Empire owes it's
survival at the time.
Population and creeds of the Balkan
Peninsula.
The Balkan Peninsula has a popula-
ton of about 23,000,OOO Catholics
number about half million; Protes-
tants only few thousands. In
European Turkey, with total popu-
lation of CT millions, there are only
about w million Turks. Including
the Albanians, the Mahomedans num-
Der about 21k millions. The majority
of the inhabitants of the Balkan
Peninsula belong to the Orthodox
Greek Church, whose head is the Gear
of Russia. The various Slavonic races
were converted to Christianity in the
ninth and tenth centuries st. Cyril
and st. Methodius, the apostles of the
Slavs, were in close communion with
Rome. They lived, as indicated, be.
fore the Eastern Schism. But when
the East separated from the West and
severed its communion with Rome
the fact that st. Cyril and ST. Metho
dius had come from Constantinople to
evangelize the Slavs was taken advan
tage of in order to draw these races
into the Schism. The Poles alone
could not be forced into a separation
from Rome, but remained faithful tC
the Catholic religion. En- PEASANT, q
word of well-deserved praise, may be
said in honor of the Poles. In spite OF
the reverses of their unhappy country
in spite of persecution at the hands
of their Russian and German conquer
ors, they have remained staunch in
their faith.
The "Crthcdox" Church.
The condition of the Orthodox
Church in the Balkans is the same as
in Russia 1t is to all intents and pur
poses civil institution, one of the
departments of the State. The Gov
eminent sees in bishops and priests
but servants of the State, subject tt
the Minister of the Interior. Withou
any regard to Canon Law they are
dismissed if they dare to think diff
ferently from the Government, and arr
not its blind tools. The conscience O
the official of the State is the only
authority, and want of subordinatioI
is an offence which must be severel!
punished
Intolerance i'm SerVia.
Servia is today the only country Of
Europe in which the Catholic religion
is forbidden by law. The only two
Catholic priests in the land are tn,
chaplains of the Austrian-HungariaI
Embassy. The future will show
whether the promise of King Peter tt
give entire freedom to the Catholi,
Church will be carried out. TIL,
Orthodox Church in Servia is in a sat
condition. Even several of its bishops
have been imprisoned for crime
Some of them can neither read MOI
write The so-called Old Catholic!
have made repeated attempts to joil
forces with the Orthodox Church. II
Montenegro the Catholic Church en-
joys freedom since King Nicolas en-
tered into a Concordat with the Hol,
See. Montenegro is an archdioces,
with its seat at Andivari The Kin,
of Roumania is Catholic In thii
kingdom the Catholic religion il
tolerated. The Rev p Raymund Metz
hammer, of the Benedictine Abbey O
Einsiedeln, Switzerland, has been ap
pointed Archbishop of Bucharest H,
taught mathematics for many years a
the College of Einsiedeln, and is tn,
author of wellknown works. Arch
bishop Netzhammer enjoys grea
respect and popularity throughou
Roumania. Bulgaria is divided int
two vicariates Mgr. Cleto, Capu