Summary
Rastko Lompar
Contacts between the German Evangelical Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Light of German Foreign Policy in the Balkans 1935–1941.
Abstract: This paper, based primarily on unpublished German sources and on relevant Serbian sources and literature, deals with the contacts between the German Evangelical Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the period 1935-1941. These contacts constituted an important albeit inadequately researched episode in Yugoslav-German relations prior to the outbreak of World War II. The foreign office of the German Evangelical Church, led by the energetic bishop Heckel, attempted to sway the Serbian Orthodox Church and establish cooperation against the enemies of Germany, both communists and Anglicans.
Key words: Serbian Orthodox Church, German Evangelical Church, German Foreign Policy, Nazism
After the assassination of King Aleksandar, Yugoslavia's foreign and internal position became increasingly precarious, while the foreign policy of the Nazi Germany took a sharp expansionist turn. An important, yet entirely overlooked, episode from the Yugoslav-German relations during this period (1935-1941) were the contacts between the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) and the German Evangelical Church (GEC). The intensifying of contacts between the two churches was a direct result of the new foreign political concept of the Nazi regime, which used all available measures to establish its influence. This included ecumenical contacts. Therefore, the Office of Foreign Affairs of the German Evangelical Church initiated contacts with the SOC in hopes of bringing it closer and making it more susceptible to German influence. Despite the proclaimed goal of these contacts (exchange of experience and spiritual reasons), the critical analysis of sources highlights the undoubted political dimension. The key goals of the German church dignitaries were, on one hand, the strengthening of the anticommunist stance of the SOC and on the other, distancing and ultimately breaking all ties between the SOC and the Anglican church. To that end they resorted to propaganda and scholarship programs, but also overt threats and political pressure. However, despite the eagerness of the SOC to support the German anticommunist stance, the Serbian Church proved unwilling to break its contacts with the Anglicans. The year 1941 marked the turning point for both Yugoslavia and the Serbian Orthodox Church. By taking a pro-Allied stance, the SOC voided the already established contacts with the GEC and was therefore subject to terror and banishment by the German invaders. On the other hand, the German Evangelical Church lost its influence in contacts with the SOC, which were now firmly in the hands of the RSHA (i.e. the BDS).