Greeks in America - eBooks4Greeks.gr

54 THE GREEKS IN AMERICAinfluence. In many villages the only man able toHe mayread and address the people is the teacher.be of greater force than the priest. Physicians playan important role as leaders in all community affairsbecause they are educated and far in advanceof the people among whom they practice.Merchants and prominent business men are potentforces in all communities, both in Grreece andTurkey.RELIGIOUS CONDITIONSThe Greeks almost all belong to the Greek Church,called also Greek Orthodox or Eastern OrthodoxChurch. It is often mistakenly called by AmericansGreek Catholic. The church of this name or*^Uniate'' is a wholly different denomination, comprisingno Greeks, but Kuthenians, Slovaks, Eumanians,Syrians, and a few others, who keep theEastern Orthodox rites and customs, but have comeunder the authority of the Pope of Eome.Greek Church.—The Greek or Eastern OrthodoxChurch is the church of Eussia, Serbia, Eumania,Montenegro, Bulgaria (though considered schismatic),as well as of Greece, and the Greeks in thewhole of Turkey, including Egypt, and those scatteredin other countries and part of the Syrians andAlbanians.All the various national churches have the samedoctrine, practice and liturgy. Each national churchis autocephalus, i. e., independent and self-governing,administered by a Holy Synod consisting ofbishops, the president being called Metropolitan, insome cases patriarch. Thus the church in Greeceis governed by a synod of bishops with the Metropolitanor Archbishop of Athens as its president.Patriarchates.—There are four historic patriarchatesof the Eastern Orthodox Church, compris-