THE ATTITUDE OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH AND OTHER ORTHODOX CHURCHES TOWARDS PROTESTANT CHURCHES: THE OFFICIAL STANCE IN THE HERALD: OFFICIAL GAZETTE OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE (1920–1941)

Abstract

Using analytical and synthetic methods, this study examines how contributors to the Herald: Official Gazette of the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate ― the official periodical of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) ― portrayed the relations between Orthodox churches and Protestant denominations during the interwar period.

The research confirms that the SOC supported the immediate goals of the ecumenical movement, hoping that Christian cooperation would foster international peace. However, the SOC maintained a firm stance that unification could occur only through the accession of other Christian communities to Orthodoxy. While cooperating with non-Orthodox bodies, the SOC resolved all dogmatic, moral, and disciplinary matters strictly based on pan-Orthodox agreements, coordinating closely with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Although doctrinal issues dominated ecumenical forums, discussions also addressed international peace, offering solutions strictly within the Versailles system. The SOC decisively suppressed Bulgarian attempts to abuse these forums for hostile propaganda and revisionism in the 1930s, protecting official state interests while remaining committed to principled cooperation.

Bilaterally, the SOC maintained its closest institutional ties with the Anglican Church, a connection rooted in British aid during the Great War. Despite unresolved doctrinal questions, these relations entailed mutual support on various issues, including the SOC’s opposition to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia’s concordat with the Holy See. Conversely, intra-Orthodox relations were shaped by debates over calendar reform, Anglican unification, and resistance to Constantinople’s aspirations for supreme universal authority.