Mihail Petkov () (24 October 1850 – 27 May 1921) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Eastern Catholic The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as 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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, member of the

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

movement in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Biography

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

Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

and graduated in philosophical and theological education in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In June 1873 he was ordained priest. Petkov was appointed by Bishop

Raphael Popov Raphael Popov (, born in Strelcha, 15 November 1830 – died in Edirne, 6 March 1876) was a Bulgarian Byzantine-Catholic bishop and one of the leaders of the Bulgarian national revival. Originally he was an Eastern Orthodox deacon, but convert ...

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 Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

as coadjutor of the

Nil Izvorov Nil Izvorov (, August 23, 1823 – March 13, 1905) was a Bulgarian hierarch, activist of the Bulgarian National Revival and participant in the struggle for an independent Bulgarian Church. In 1874, as a bishop of the Orthodox Church he became ...

. 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 were 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 defeated it, in the ...

, Bulgarian and everywhere, also in the Eastern Catholics in

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

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 is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

. 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 (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, 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 Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

, 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 clergy Eastern Catholic bishops in the Ottoman Empire Eastern Catholic bishops in Bulgaria