Mihail Petkov ( bg, Михаил Петков) (24 October 1850 – 27 May 1921) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, member of the

Uniate The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...

movement in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Biography

Michael Petkov was born on October 24, 1850 in the city of

Edirne Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis ( Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders ...

and graduated in philosophical and theological education in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. In June 1873 he was ordained priest. Petkov was appointed by Bishop Raphael Popov a parish priest in the village Elya Gyunyu to Malgara where he remained about three years. Then go for treatment in

, and later, in

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

as coadjutor of the Nil Izvorov. The reform of 1883 divided the Eastern Catholic eparchies in two. For Apostolic Vicar in Eastern Diocese was appointed and ordained bishop Mihail Petkov, who is also responsible for laymen within the principality of Bulgaria. The first obstacle to elect a young spiritual head is the difficulty to acquire Sultan pick. This permission he obtained only in 1891. In 1903 the diocese of Bishop Michael Petkov numbered 4,600 faithfuls with 20 lay priests. The beginning of the

Balkan War The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defea ...

, Bulgarian and everywhere, also in the Eastern Catholics in

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

is associated with better hopes for freedom and join the motherland. Unfortunately, too short and deceptive. In Thrace Turks destroyed 11 villages and 3380 Uniates left homeless. More than 10,000 Eastern Catholics of the crumbling

, seeking salvation through displacement from their homelands. In ubiquitous obezbalgaryavane of Eastern Thrace, Bulgaria and Edirne went Apostolic Vicar. Is established first in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

. Difficulties arise regarding the status of the Eastern Catholic Church and its bishops in

. The status of an Ottoman subject of the bishop became a formal reason its legal status in

remain outstanding longer. Despite his repeated demands to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs, the Bulgarian authorities have not given their consent to be recognized as the head of Catholics in the eastern state border. Meanwhile, Bishop Petkov take care of refugees and priests of the Diocese of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, which faces the same critical situation, in which in 1913 it was on the Edirne province. So under his ministry took another 11 parishes in excess of 3600 people with 13 priests. In 1914 with the help of Bishop Michael Petkov in Sofia organized the Eastern Catholic parish. On February 17, 1915 the bishop leaves

and stayed in Plovdiv, where he waited until the end of the war. In 1920, already ill and still unresolved status in

, Mihail Petkov took to his old seat in

. The bishop died on May 27, 1921.

External links

* http://paper.standartnews.com/archive/2002/05/20/interview/s3369_3.htm * http://storico.radiovaticana.va/bul/storico/2010-07/409300.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Petkov, Michael 1850 births 1921 deaths Bulgarian Eastern Catholic bishops Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church Bulgarian bishops People from Edirne Bulgarians from Eastern Thrace Thracian Bulgarians 19th-century Bulgarian people Eastern Catholic bishops in the Ottoman Empire Eastern Catholic bishops in Bulgaria