future welfare of Greece had a very powerful effect. For, amongst many good qualities of the Greeks, we must place in the first rank their nationality. Every Greek was proud to belong to a free and independent church. Every man felt to what point a free Greek Church must necessarily lead the Greek state itself;—a state which possesses that which no other state has ever possessed, a Church which bears the same name with the State!

DECLARATION OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF

THE GREEK CHURCH.

OTHO, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, KING OF GREECE.

According to the unanimous wish of the Metropolitan, Archbishops, and Bishops, of our Realm, that we should proclaim the independence of the Greek Church and institute a permanent Synod, we have decreed, by the advice and with the approval of our Ministers, and we do decree as follows:

Art. 1. The orthodox Eastern Apostolic Church, in the Kingdom of Greece, whilst it acknowledges no other spiritual head than the Founder of the Christian Faith, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and recognises, in regard to the guidance and administration of the Church, the King of Greece for its superior, is free and independent of every other power, without prejudice to the unity of the dogma as it has been always recognised by all orthodox Eastern Churches.

Art. 2. The highest spiritual power is vested under the su premacy of the King, in the hands of a permanent holy Synod.

The King indicates, by an organic decree, the department of State which has to exercise this right of supremacy, and to which the Synod is in this respect subordinate.

The Synod holds its sittings in the department of State, and has a seal of its own, the arms of which are the Greek Cross of the Seal of State, with the words, "Holy Synod of the Kingdom of Greece."

Art. 3. The Synod consists of five members.

These are a President and at least two Councillors. The two other members may be equally Councillors; the Government of the State, however, reserves to itself, according to its judgment, to appoint one or two Assessors in their place.

Besides these, one or two Assistant-Councillors or Assessors may be named, who, however, will only act in the event of the impediment of an active member.

The nomination rests with the Government.

Art. 4. The President and the Councillors must be Metropo'litans, Archbishops, or Bishops; the associates, however, Presbyters, or Hieromonarchs.

Every year a new nomination is to take place. The old members may, however, be nominated again.

Each acting Councillor and Assessor receives, besides the salary due to him from his ecclesiastical office, a sum of money according to the duration of his functions.

Art. 5. The march of business is collegial.

In the deliberations the majority decides.

When the votes are equal, the President has a deciding voice. All the members have to sign the decree.

If one or more member should differ in opinion, they may record their difference of opinion in the protocol of the sittings. Art. 6. With the Synod are associated a Procurator and Secretary, named by the Government.

The remaining functionaries of the Chancellery are to be appointed by the Synod, but must be confirmed by the Government. Art. 7. The Secretary is President of the Chancellery of the Synod, and conducts the Protocols of Proceedings.

He is empowered to take a part in the deliberations, without, however, having a deciding voice.

The State Procurator must assist at all the sittings, and represent the Royal Government in them.

Every decree resolved upon in his absence is ineffective.

He has also the right to lay before the Synod, on demand of a Royal Functionary or Magistrate, propositions on which the Synod must, without delay, deliberate and decide.

Art. 8. The following oath must be taken by the President, the Councillors, and the Assessors.

"I swear fidelity to the King, obedience to the laws of the Kingdom, a conscientious administration of the office entrusted

to me, a faithful maintenance of the rights and liberties of the orthodox Eastern Apostolic Church in the Kingdom of Greece, the maintenance of its independence of every foreign power, a conscientious promotion of its welfare, with a careful removal of any temporal views, and the punctual fulfilment of al! and each of the duties belonging to my office."

The usual oath of office is to be taken by the State Procurator, the Secretary, and the other officers of the Chancellery.

The President, the Councillors, and Assessors, the State Procurator and the Secretary, take the oath in the hands of the King, but the remaining functionaries at a sitting of the Synod.

Art. 9. In all the internal affairs of the Church, the Synod acts independently of the temporal authority.

With regard to the supreme superintendence of the Government over all acts, and incidents, and relations within the State, it is justified in taking cognizance of what is done, and no resolution of the Synod can be made known or acted upon without the previous consent of the Government.

In the preamble of such resolutions, the consent of the Government thereto is always to be mentioned.

Art. 10. To the internal affairs of the Church belong, under Articles 11, 12, 17, the following provisions.

1. The doctrine of faith. 2. The form and ceremonies of the divine service. 3. The direction of the duties of the Priesthood.

4. Religious instruction. 5. The discipline of the Church. 6. The examination and ordination of the servants of the Church. 7. The consecration of the vessels, &c., and edifices destined to the service of God. 8. The exercise of jurisdiction in purely spiritual matters, namely, in affairs of conscience, or the fulfilling of the duties of religion and of the Church, according to the dogmas, the works on the dogmas, and the constitution founded on them.

Art. 11. The Synod watches over the preservation of the purity of the received dogmas of the Eastern Church, and over the contents of the books sold for the use of youth or destined for that of the Priesthood and treating of religious matters; and endeavours, when it learns with certainty that any one is en

deavouring to injure the Church of the Realm through new doctrines or proselytism, or, in any other manner, to apply the temporal power, according to the temporal laws, to remedy the evil.

Art. 12. The Synod watches furthermore over the exact obedience to spiritual ordinances and uses, over the good order of the Church and of the Church ceremonies, and especially over the rites of the Church. It has the direction of all that refers to the preservation of the dignity of the Priesthood, and to its improvement, and has to take care that the Priest does not violate the spiritual and temporal laws by interfering in temporal matters.

Art. 13. All ecclesiastical affairs, having reference to the Church but not to its doctrines, but which rather (without exactly belonging to purely temporal affairs) relate to the State and to the temporal welfare of its inhabitants, come within the cognizance of the Synod, but no partial regulation of their's can be carried into effect without the participation and approbation of the Government. The Government is even authorised, not only to take cognizance of the regulations of the Synod, but even by their own ordinances to prevent what might be injurious to the welfare of the people.

Art. 14. Amongst such subjects of a mixed nature (Art. 13.) are more particularly,

1. Regulations with regard to external worship, the time, place, frequency, &c., of the same. 2. The institution, suppression, or limitation, of convents. 3. The regulation, limitation, or sup pression, of those ceremonies, processions, fêtes, &c., which do not belong to the essential part of worship. 4. The distribution of the offices of the Church, and the permission to consecrate Priests and Deacons. 5. The distribution, in the dioceses, of the Church orders. 6. Regulations respecting the institutions for spiritual improvement, instruction, and punishments. 7. Matters of health; discipline, in so far as it has reference to the regulations of the Church. 8. Extraordinary Church ceremonieswhen these occur on work days and outside the Church. 9. Laws of marriage, in so far as they do not concern the civil contract.