Reheaded

Last summer the Serbian Orthodox Church had a fight on its hands. Yugoslavia's Premier Milan Stoyadinovich and his Cabinet negotiated a concordat with the Vatican which would virtually have placed the Roman Catholic Church on equal terms with the well-entrenched

Orthodox Church. With no legal power to prevent its ratification, Orthodox Church followers (about half the population) proceeded to riot when the Lower House of Parliament ratified the concordat (TIME, Aug. 2).

Then Varnava, Patriarch of the Church, fell deathly ill and the Church showed its astuteness. By a Yugoslav law passed in 1930, the Patriarch is selected by the King from three candidates elected by prelates, Orthodox Cabinet ministers, State officials. The Church hastily excommunicated Premier Stoyadinovich and six of his ministers, thereby disqualifying them and postponing the election. The headless Church coasted along till the Cabinet should come to reason. Last month the Government capitulated, promised that the concordat would be dropped. Within a week the Premier and Cabinet members were received back into the Orthodox Church, the election was held, three candidates for Patriarch selected. Regent Prince Paul chose a Patriarch--Gabriel, Metropolitan of Montenegro, 57, stanch patriot, Wartime Red Cross worker, Montenegrin leader in the post-War formation of Yugoslavia. Patriarch Gabriel will enjoy the fruit of the Church's victory by agreement--the Government must consult him next time it plans any negotiations with the Vatican.

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