Diplomacy and Communal Identity: Greece and the Greek Orthodox in Syria and Lebanon, 1919-1940

Abstract

The focus of this article is the major crisis in the Patriarchate of Antioch from 1928 to 1932 over the succession of Patriarch Gregorios who died in 1928. This particular church crisis can be seen as a good example illustrating the complex character of such crises in the region and unveiling the interweaving socio-economic and political factors behind them. It will also give a picture of the Greek Orthodox Church and community, their political and social relations. It will describe the crisis of 1928, its various stages and the attitude of the French authorities, the Greek Consul and the Greek Foreign Ministry as well as the role of higher ecclesiastics including the Bishop of Trebizond, Chrysanthos, the Bishop of Thyateira, Germanos and the Patriarchs of Alexandria and Jerusalem.