There were 378 Bulgarian churches with 300 priests in Aegean Macedonia. Enemy No.1 of the fighting Greek phanariots was the Bulgarian Orthodox church. The leading role played by the Greek church in winning the so-called "Macedonian Struggle" was stated above.
As early as July 31 1913, the Governor of Kostour invited the Head of the Bulgarian Orthodox church and all priests and told them about the Greek Government order that they were to leave Greek territory within 48 hours. The expelled priests, all born in Macedonia, were presented with a document which stated that they were returning to Bulgaria because they were Bulgarians. ,,There cannot be Bulgarians in Greek Macedonia! any more" /,,Report..... " p.199/
On July 3 and 4 1913, 200 Bulgarian priests and teachers were arrested and sent to the Thessaloniki prison. On June 30 the last Bulgarian church was confiscated and occupied. All icons of ,,St. Cyril and Metodius" were either burnt or covered with manure. Most of the priests were sent in exile on various Greek islands. Their ups and downs are described in the ,,Mir" newspaper from October 30 1913 /,,Report....... " p.199/
At present there are no Bulgarian churches in Macedonia and no place where a divine service is carried in Bulgarian. It is made clear below what is the attitude of the Greek state towards any attempt to deliver Gods words in the local Slavo Bulgarian language.
THE ARCHIMANDRITE NIKODIM CASE
Archimandrite Nikodim is a Macedonian Bulgarian, who graduated theology in Athens and was appointed for a reverend in a Salonica village. There he carries the services in Slav language, as the majority of the villagers speak Bulgarian. This brought over him the hatred of the bishop who fired him. Here is the full text of the declaration of this notable human rights fighter. ,,I have lived in Greece since my birth in the village of Aridea /Subotsko/, in Northern Greece. In 1975 after completing my theological studies at Athens University,
I began to preach the word of God. My religious beliefs gave me the strength to withstand all the trials and tribulations which I had to endure as an activist for human rights of Macedonian people in Greece. This is the country where I was born and a country where even the basic human rights concerning the ethnic minorities are not observed. I became an open fighter for human rights since 1980, but our movement for rights for the Macedonians had started in the 70's. As a young man I witnessed of the humiliation and discrimination of the Macedonian people by the Greek authorities. I must state that the bishops of Lerin and Voden were people appointed by the Military Junta which governed Greece from 1967 to 1974. The bishop of Lerin, Agostinos is still in office as of this day. Since my colleagues and I made an open demand for the recognition of the Macedonian language, culture and ethnic identity, we were subjected to abuses and defamation of a most abominable kind. Our telephones were tapped. There was no place where we could take our grievance since this was the official policy. Although Greece has signed some humanitarian international conventions, the respective commission, where one can appeal, has still not been established.
In 1980, when I was a village priest in a village nearLerin and openly stated my belief that Macedonians should be given basic rights, bishop Agostinos had me expelled from the diocese, stating in public that I was an ,,agent of Skopje", ,,autonomist" and ,,enemy of Greece" and other similar lies.
In 1981 as a priest in Kukush for sturdy work in the name of God Ibuilt a church in the village of KukushI I was promoted by the bishop Ambrosinos to the rank of archimandrite. In 1983 the secret police /KIP/ managed through pressure over the same bishop to. convince him to shift me over to some more remote place in old Greece. This decision was annulled since my fellow villagers made a massive demonstration. In 1988 I received an honour award from the bishop Ambrozias, since during this year we have completed and inaugurated the church ,,Agios Atanasios" /village of Boriani/ in the village with the same name. This was a church made possible by my activity from idea to its realization. Thank God, that my fellow villagers stood with their wisdom by me. In October 1989 the Secret police chief visited me with a proposition to cooperate with the police concerning the Macedonian question and so I would be promoted to the rank of bishop. If I refused, I would be publicly overthrown and killed. Immediately I told all this to the "Proti" newspaper /liberal-progressive/, which supported me. The Secret police did not bother me again. But rumours about immoral doings on my side were spread along with faked pictures of these doings. These manoeuvers are known to the world and my people knew they were fabricated.
In March 1992 the newly arrived bishop in Kukush Apostolus had me removed from my parish without any explanation. I have been since then without work and parish. It is now that I understand that I am fired and removed forever.
There is much more I may add about the Macedonian minority in Greece. God is my witness that I tell the truth about the things that have happened to me.
I want to say it aloud before the world that I do not wish to become a political outcast or runaway, since I wish to continue my just fight together with my Macedonian brothers and sisters in the place where it is most needed. "
It becomes evident from this declaration what is the attitude of the Greek authorities towards the use of the mother language in local churches and how Greek authorities act against anyone who dares to fight for his right accepted by international conventions.
The harassment against Father Nikodim continues even today. Before finishing the manuscript of this book we have learned that the public prosecutor of Thessalonika has issued an accusation note against father Nikodim and his aide Foti /Fotos Tzelepis/ because when they have learned that the Kukush bishop was going to hold a service in the village church, father Nikodim has said to the villagers: ,,You have to show him that you do not want him and not let him in the church." When the bishop after all came and started the service, father Nikodim took the microphone from his hand and the service carried out in Greek was interrupted.
Father Nikodim is accused also for encouraging 30-40 people from the village Agios Atanasios /Boliyari/ to place a tractor in front of the church door and with it or with their bodies to stop the bishop from entry the church. A strong police squad was used to make this entering possible. The Thessaloniki prosecutor, Dimitrius Papageorgiu has started another prosecutor case. Accused is also the aide Fotius Tzelepis as an accomplice. The accusation is based on articles 240, 320 and 321 from the Greek Criminal code.
The Greek Orthodox Church continues to play its leading role in debulgarization. As in the beginning of the century, now at its end, it is the carrier of the Greek ,,megali idea" in the sphere of intellectual life. Still encouraged today by the memory of Germanos Karavangelis /see above/ who directly or indirectly destroyed physically hundreds of our fellow countrymen in the region of Kostour.
THE CASE OF BISHOP KANTIOTIS
The Greek movie director Georgios Angelopulos decided to film a documentary about the life of people in Aegean Macedonia and precisely the day-to- day life of the people living in Lerin. A scene was shot that showed locals coming out of church service. They did not hide their Slavic identity, because of which the bishop of Lerin Agostinos Kantiotis expelled from the church all the villagers that on the question why they were not speaking Greek but Slavic, said that they were not Greeks but Macedonians. One of the expelled, Konstantin Papalazaridis, died because of ,,this shame". A funeral service and burial was refused for him. The bishop secretary told in public that: ,,Thus will be with everyone who took part in the film, that did not repent and did not receive pardon from the bishop." At the same time all local priests were given an order not to enter the homes and not to carry any religious services for the people that stood before the camera.
Archimandrite Nikodim is a Macedonian Bulgarian, who graduated theology in Athens and was appointed for a reverend in a Salonica village. There he carries the services in Slav language, as the majority of the villagers speak Bulgarian. This brought over him the hatred of the bishop who fired him. Here is the full text of the declaration of this notable human rights fighter. ,,I have lived in Greece since my birth in the village of Aridea /Subotsko/, in Northern Greece. In 1975 after completing my theological studies at Athens University,
I began to preach the word of God. My religious beliefs gave me the strength to withstand all the trials and tribulations which I had to endure as an activist for human rights of Macedonian people in Greece. This is the country where I was born and a country where even the basic human rights concerning the ethnic minorities are not observed. I became an open fighter for human rights since 1980, but our movement for rights for the Macedonians had started in the 70's. As a young man I witnessed of the humiliation and discrimination of the Macedonian people by the Greek authorities. I must state that the bishops of Lerin and Voden were people appointed by the Military Junta which governed Greece from 1967 to 1974. The bishop of Lerin, Agostinos is still in office as of this day. Since my colleagues and I made an open demand for the recognition of the Macedonian language, culture and ethnic identity, we were subjected to abuses and defamation of a most abominable kind. Our telephones were tapped. There was no place where we could take our grievance since this was the official policy. Although Greece has signed some humanitarian international conventions, the respective commission, where one can appeal, has still not been established.
In 1980, when I was a village priest in a village nearLerin and openly stated my belief that Macedonians should be given basic rights, bishop Agostinos had me expelled from the diocese, stating in public that I was an ,,agent of Skopje", ,,autonomist" and ,,enemy of Greece" and other similar lies.
In 1981 as a priest in Kukush for sturdy work in the name of God Ibuilt a church in the village of KukushI I was promoted by the bishop Ambrosinos to the rank of archimandrite. In 1983 the secret police /KIP/ managed through pressure over the same bishop to. convince him to shift me over to some more remote place in old Greece. This decision was annulled since my fellow villagers made a massive demonstration. In 1988 I received an honour award from the bishop Ambrozias, since during this year we have completed and inaugurated the church ,,Agios Atanasios" /village of Boriani/ in the village with the same name. This was a church made possible by my activity from idea to its realization. Thank God, that my fellow villagers stood with their wisdom by me. In October 1989 the Secret police chief visited me with a proposition to cooperate with the police concerning the Macedonian question and so I would be promoted to the rank of bishop. If I refused, I would be publicly overthrown and killed. Immediately I told all this to the "Proti" newspaper /liberal-progressive/, which supported me. The Secret police did not bother me again. But rumours about immoral doings on my side were spread along with faked pictures of these doings. These manoeuvers are known to the world and my people knew they were fabricated.
In March 1992 the newly arrived bishop in Kukush Apostolus had me removed from my parish without any explanation. I have been since then without work and parish. It is now that I understand that I am fired and removed forever.
There is much more I may add about the Macedonian minority in Greece. God is my witness that I tell the truth about the things that have happened to me.
I want to say it aloud before the world that I do not wish to become a political outcast or runaway, since I wish to continue my just fight together with my Macedonian brothers and sisters in the place where it is most needed. "
It becomes evident from this declaration what is the attitude of the Greek authorities towards the use of the mother language in local churches and how Greek authorities act against anyone who dares to fight for his right accepted by international conventions.
The harassment against Father Nikodim continues even today. Before finishing the manuscript of this book we have learned that the public prosecutor of Thessalonika has issued an accusation note against father Nikodim and his aide Foti /Fotos Tzelepis/ because when they have learned that the Kukush bishop was going to hold a service in the village church, father Nikodim has said to the villagers: ,,You have to show him that you do not want him and not let him in the church." When the bishop after all came and started the service, father Nikodim took the microphone from his hand and the service carried out in Greek was interrupted.
Father Nikodim is accused also for encouraging 30-40 people from the village Agios Atanasios /Boliyari/ to place a tractor in front of the church door and with it or with their bodies to stop the bishop from entry the church. A strong police squad was used to make this entering possible. The Thessaloniki prosecutor, Dimitrius Papageorgiu has started another prosecutor case. Accused is also the aide Fotius Tzelepis as an accomplice. The accusation is based on articles 240, 320 and 321 from the Greek Criminal code.
The Greek Orthodox Church continues to play its leading role in debulgarization. As in the beginning of the century, now at its end, it is the carrier of the Greek ,,megali idea" in the sphere of intellectual life. Still encouraged today by the memory of Germanos Karavangelis /see above/ who directly or indirectly destroyed physically hundreds of our fellow countrymen in the region of Kostour.The Greek movie director Georgios Angelopulos decided to film a documentary about the life of people in Aegean Macedonia and precisely the day-to- day life of the people living in Lerin. A scene was shot that showed locals coming out of church service. They did not hide their Slavic identity, because of which the bishop of Lerin Agostinos Kantiotis expelled from the church all the villagers that on the question why they were not speaking Greek but Slavic, said that they were not Greeks but Macedonians. One of the expelled, Konstantin Papalazaridis, died because of ,,this shame". A funeral service and burial was refused for him. The bishop secretary told in public that: ,,Thus will be with everyone who took part in the film, that did not repent and did not receive pardon from the bishop." At the same time all local priests were given an order not to enter the homes and not to carry any religious services for the people that stood before the camera.