LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

Aspects in the Religious Life of Romanians... 181
no radical changes, the Greek monks and their superior did, however, begin
to show moderation in their manifestations 18 .
on July 26 th , 1913, minister N. Mişu submitted to Titu Maiorescu a
report that noted: “the Athos Mountain shall be autonomous, independent
and neutral under the security of all orthodox powers… the government
shall be formed of the representatives of the monasteries…it shall maintain
a police troop and small coast vessels… the Constantinople patriarch shall
remain, for spiritual matters, the head of the Mountain, and the last spiritual
court.” however, on July 23 rd , 1913, Mensdorf, the Ambassador of Austrohungary
requested, in the name of the orthodox subjects, to join the
protecting powers. england opposed and no agreement was reached; a final
decision was to be made after the solving of the Albanian issue. N. Mişu
suggested, at the end of the report, that an agreement should be reached
with Greece “which had all means to influence both the Constantinople
patriarchy and the superiors of the Greek monasteries, whose majority is
overwhelming… our main concern should be to obtain at least one vote
in the Carca Meeting, either by purchasing the autonomous rights of one
deserted monastery, or by the acknowledgement of our cells as independent
monasteries, which is going to be more difficult”. 19
on october 3 rd the “holy Community of the holy Athos Mountain” of
Carea, formed of the leaders of the 20 monasteries, resolved to maintain
the existing system, transferring the legal rights of the ottoman empire
over to the Greek kingdom and rejecting the idea of internationalizing or
neutralizing. the attitude displayed by russia, modified from the idea
of a complete independence to that of a joint protectorate of the high
powers over the Athonite territory, was considered by the Constantinople
patriarchy as a an attempt to turn said territory into a “Slavic” one. russia’s
stand was categorically in favor of the inclusion of the Athos Mountain in
the Greek state.
Although the Greek diplomacy had ensured romania of its full support
for the purchase of one of the Greek monasteries, this never happened. the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs still continued to deal with this issue at the
end of 1913. From the Athos Mountain, hieromonk teodosie Soroceanu
reiterated his previous requests in a memorandum.
During year 1914, up to the commencement of the First World War,
the situation remained the same. the new regime of the Athos Mountain
started to operate, under the authority of the Greek Kingdom. the favorable
occasion of positively solving the requests of the romanian monks at the
18 zBuCheA, Gheorghe, op. cit., p. 173.
19 AMAe, fond Problema 71, dosar 20/1912, B 13, vol xIV, f. 74.