Posted by Kostantina on July 31, 2001 at 11:28:48:
In Reply to: Re: Secret Schools...Do you believe they really existed? posted by Elizabeth on July 30, 2001 at 07:51:57:
The existence of the "secret schools" is for the most part
a myth propagated
by the Orthodox church in order to attempt to cover up its less
than heroic attitude during Ottoman rule.
Remember that, although by no means independent, the
Orthodox Church nevertheless
enjoyed a strong position under the Turks. In every day
activities, normal Greeks would never come directly into contact
with Turkish authorities, but only through the church which
acted as mediator. This
gave the Orthodox church quite some power, influence and
responsibilities, which it was not very willing to give up.
The orthodox church also resented a major motivation behind the
independence movement. This was fuelled by a longing for a
return to the greatness of Ancient Greece, that is pagan,
non-Christian Greece. Hence the initial active resistance of the
church against the embryonic independence movement.