Petrit Latifi
Between the years 1897-1905, an intensive Serbianization campaign began with the goal of building new Serbian churches in the lands of Bosnia and Hercegovina. Serbs were entirely Greek Orthodox until 1881. Around 201 new Serbian churches were built. In the article from 1909 in the paper Tiroler post we read:
“Between 1897 and 1905, the Serbian Church was subsidized by the government with 1,888,656 K, and during this time, 201 new Serbian churches were built”
“Serbian Church System in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Since the dissolution of the Patriarchate of Ipek, there has no longer been a separate Serbian church in the Turkish provinces (and therefore also in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Therefore, the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Serbs were considered Greek Orthodox; their ecclesiastical leader is still the Greek Patriarch in the Phanar in Constantinople, and their bishops were, even after the annexation of the country by Austria on the basis of the Treaty of Berlin until 1881, entirely Greek.
At the same time, the Serbian Orthodox population was indeed ahead of the Catholics in Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of numbers, wealth, and education. However, before the annexation, the Orthodox clergy was far below the level of the Catholic clergy, which, consisting of natives, was largely educated abroad. These were the Franciscans, highly respected even by the other consecrations in the country.
The three Orthodox bishops (three metropolitans) sent to Bosnia by the economic patriarch of Constantinople had to purchase their positions at great expense and remained subject to tribute to the batriarch. They ruthlessly exploited their subordinates and, for this reason, as well as for their ignorance of the local language and their indifference to the needs of their diocesans, were highly hated by the Serbian population of Bosnia.
The Orthodox lower Merus was at the lowest level of education in Bosnia. There was no institute for the training of Orthodox clergy in the country. They learned their clerical office, without exception, through experimental methods.
A relative or servant of a local priest (pope) would spend a period of time in the home and, alternatively, in the spiritual service of the priest. As soon as he had acquired the necessary money, he would go to the residence of the vladika (bishop) to purchase this or that vacant parish, often also to displace this or that bishop. A mere reading of the holy books was the sum of the knowledge of most of these bishops; only a few could write, while some could be found who had only learned the rites by heart and didn’t even know how to read.
In order to be able to give the Bosnian Serbs national bishops, an agreement was reached in 1880 between the Austro-Hungarian embassy in Constantinople and the economic patriarchate, according to which the Orthodox bishops in Bosnia and Herzegovina would be designated by His Majesty the Emperor and King, and after their Fanonian suitability had been demonstrated to the patriarchate, they would also be appointed by His Majesty. In return for the promise of an annual subsidy of 58,000 gold piastres, the patriarch renounced the subsidies he had previously received from the Bosnian metropolitans
But the Serbian church was also supported in every way by the Bosnian government. For example, Serbian Orthodox church books were published at the government’s expense (1889–1893), the bishops’ salaries were paid (1881), and the Orthodox churches were provided with vestments. In 1898, a charitable fund was established for the widows and orphans of Serbian Orthodox clergy.
In 1904, after difficult negotiations, the autonomy statute for the Serbian Orthodox Church and School for Bosnia-Herzegovina was finally established. Between 1897 and 1905, the Serbian Church was subsidized by the government with 1,888,656 K, and during this time, 201 new Serbian churches were built
If the Serbian party leaders now dare to claim that the government, by persecuting Serbs, wants to make the country Catholic, this is particularly because the government took the side of the hierarchy in the struggle between the new Orthodox hierarchy and the later.
During the low point of the Orthodox Church in Bosnia-Herzegovina under Turkish rule, the Serbian laity had taken over the administration of church property and had gone so far as to seize control of the monastic property and the disposal of cathedral churches and to demand the election of all church officials, pastors, and even bishops, by the community, almost without church or state interference.
Regarding the Serbian Orthodox school system, the Serbian communities had also adopted a complete independence, not usual in civilized states. The Serbs almost wanted to form a state within the state.
The Jewish Orthodox school and church community in Mostar had already issued a protest against the military law in 1881, which was certainly not within their sphere of influence. In Mostar, there was also a violent conflict between the Metropolitan and the church and school community. This is how the Serbian Memorandum came about, which was delivered to Emperor Franz Josef in December 1897 by 33 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Serbs, who acted as the mandataries of 14 Jewish communities.”
Reference
Balkan Academia 