Popular demonstrations against adoption of the Gregorian calendar, which would mean observance of Easter on March 31 this year, instead of May 5, took place at several points in Roumania, says an Associated Press despatch from Bucharest yesterday.
In Bucharest groups of angry church goers gathered in front of the patriarch’s palace and demanded the return of the old Byzantine calendar. In Bessarabia unlettered but highly religious peasants charged that the Government had deliberately changed the date of Easter to March 31, because that day coincides with the Jewish Passover. In many Bessarabian towns the peasants threatened to boycott the Church if the new calendar was enforced.
There was some concern expressed in Cabinet circles, members of the Government fearing that the outbursts might assume a violent form Julies Mania. Prime Minister, who is seeking to bring Roumania into harmony with Western Europe in every possible way, has decided to let the Holy Synod and the churches fight out the dispute.
The Synod today in Bucharest held that it must enforce the new calendar. It took the ground that a decision formally made by it was not revisable.
Some of the ecclesiastical authorities including the Bishop of Bessarabia, fear that the situation may lead to an open schism in the Romanian national church. At present the national on the Orthodox Church is governed by the four archbishops, the patriarchate having been created only four years ago. Besides the four archbishops there are ten bishops and all of the clergy are paid by the State. The clergy of other denominations receive state aid, but do not draw their entire pay from Government sources.
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