According to the Catholic lawyer Theodorian-Carada, Safirin was already disliked by the governing National Liberals when, in January 1909, Metropolitan Iosif died.
For this reason, he was overlooked in elections for the vacant seat, which went to Atanasie Mironescu on February 5.
Safirin soon emerged as a critic of his own church, when Synod instituted a consistory under civilian supervision, and in part controlled by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs.
The new regulation "was widely seen as too permissive in allowing any Romanian to be a possible candidate for the church hierarchy. [...]
the establishment of the Superior Clerical Consistory was directed towards bringing the interests of the lower clergy closer to the decisions of the church hierarchy."
Initially, Safirin proposed that the consistory be allowed only a consultative role, and took position in his speeches at the Senate rostrum.
When the Synod would not rescind, Safirin left the deliberations and, citing in his defense "the fundamental laws of the Christian Orthodox Church", he called anathema (afurisenie) upon the Synod and Metropolitan Atanasie.
The latter, as Safirin himself noted, had been an opponent of secularization during his years as bishop of Râmnic.

The Synod voted to cancel the anathema as unlawful—unusually, Atanasie presided upon sessions deciding his own name-clearing—, and asked Safirin to return for discussions or risk forfeiting his bishop's seat.
The scandal, stoked by the secularizing Education Minister, Spiru Haret, was quelled in January 1910, when Bishop Gherasim withdrew the anathema himself.
The indignant Safirin soon noted that the Metropolitan had not heeded his advice to review the law for possible signs of heresy.
On May 16, he lodged a formal complaint against Atanasie for a trial by Synod.
Other clerics also joined him as plaintiffs, adding to the accusations.
By the time the formal trial began on May 20, Atanasie was also investigated for plagiarism, sins of the flesh, and for conspiring with Catholics such as Theodorian-Carada.

In return, Atanasie's supporters attacked Safirin for his questionable origin and alleged insanity.
While the latter accusation was mainly grounded in a reading of his self-diagnosis as a "theomaniac", church historian Ciprian-Marius Sîrbu argues that Safirin's public statements were "borderline pathological".
He speculates that, after being moved to Roman, Safirin was jealous of Ghenadie Georgescu, the titular bishop of Râmnic.
However, Sîrbu also writes that the consistory, as a "double for the Synod", was "anti-canonical".

The scandal snowballed into a political and cultural battle.
While the Metropolitan was backed by Haret and his National Liberals, Safirin's cause was endorsed by the Conservative Party, which had risen to power under Petre P. Carp.
Conservative Christians of the time expressed the hope that Carp would effect a "moral regeneration" of the church, and undo Haret's controversial work.
The pro-Safirin camp included, alongside Cernăianu, public intellectuals such as Constantin Rădulescu-Motru, Eraclie Sterian, and Mircea Demetriade, and clerics such as Iuliu Scriban and Ilie (Ilarie) Teodorescu; reportedly, only one follower was himself a bishop: Conon Arămescu-Donici of Huși.
The nationalist historian and publicist Nicolae Iorga also campaigned for the anti-secularists, until he suddenly changed sides, along with much of the Conservative Party itself.
The trial also interested the Romanian communities of Austria-Hungary, where many of the National Party conservatives sided with Safirin, as did Lazăr Gherman, Dimitrie Dan and other clerics of the Metropolis of Bukovina.

According to Sîrbu, the scandal was also used by the Metropolitan's numerous adversaries, including Catholic missionaries, but also Orthodox priests investigated for corruption.
The issue did grab attention in the Catholic world: according to columnist Jean-Marie of Échos d'Orient, the scandal broke Romanian Orthodoxy into two churches—a truly Orthodox one headed by Safirin; and a "presbyterian" one, unde
According to the Catholic lawyer Theodorian-Carada, Safirin was already disliked by the governing National Liberals when, in January 1909, Metropolitan Iosif died. For this reason, he was overlooked in elections for the vacant seat, which went to Atanasie Mironescu on February 5. Safirin soon emerged as a critic of his own church, when Synod instituted a consistory under civilian supervision, and in part controlled by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The new regulation "was widely seen as too permissive in allowing any Romanian to be a possible candidate for the church hierarchy. [...] the establishment of the Superior Clerical Consistory was directed towards bringing the interests of the lower clergy closer to the decisions of the church hierarchy." Initially, Safirin proposed that the consistory be allowed only a consultative role, and took position in his speeches at the Senate rostrum. When the Synod would not rescind, Safirin left the deliberations and, citing in his defense "the fundamental laws of the Christian Orthodox Church", he called anathema (afurisenie) upon the Synod and Metropolitan Atanasie. The latter, as Safirin himself noted, had been an opponent of secularization during his years as bishop of Râmnic.
The Synod voted to cancel the anathema as unlawful—unusually, Atanasie presided upon sessions deciding his own name-clearing—, and asked Safirin to return for discussions or risk forfeiting his bishop's seat. The scandal, stoked by the secularizing Education Minister, Spiru Haret, was quelled in January 1910, when Bishop Gherasim withdrew the anathema himself. The indignant Safirin soon noted that the Metropolitan had not heeded his advice to review the law for possible signs of heresy. On May 16, he lodged a formal complaint against Atanasie for a trial by Synod. Other clerics also joined him as plaintiffs, adding to the accusations. By the time the formal trial began on May 20, Atanasie was also investigated for plagiarism, sins of the flesh, and for conspiring with Catholics such as Theodorian-Carada.
In return, Atanasie's supporters attacked Safirin for his questionable origin and alleged insanity. While the latter accusation was mainly grounded in a reading of his self-diagnosis as a "theomaniac", church historian Ciprian-Marius Sîrbu argues that Safirin's public statements were "borderline pathological". He speculates that, after being moved to Roman, Safirin was jealous of Ghenadie Georgescu, the titular bishop of Râmnic. However, Sîrbu also writes that the consistory, as a "double for the Synod", was "anti-canonical".
The scandal snowballed into a political and cultural battle. While the Metropolitan was backed by Haret and his National Liberals, Safirin's cause was endorsed by the Conservative Party, which had risen to power under Petre P. Carp. Conservative Christians of the time expressed the hope that Carp would effect a "moral regeneration" of the church, and undo Haret's controversial work. The pro-Safirin camp included, alongside Cernăianu, public intellectuals such as Constantin Rădulescu-Motru, Eraclie Sterian, and Mircea Demetriade, and clerics such as Iuliu Scriban and Ilie (Ilarie) Teodorescu; reportedly, only one follower was himself a bishop: Conon Arămescu-Donici of Huși. The nationalist historian and publicist Nicolae Iorga also campaigned for the anti-secularists, until he suddenly changed sides, along with much of the Conservative Party itself. The trial also interested the Romanian communities of Austria-Hungary, where many of the National Party conservatives sided with Safirin, as did Lazăr Gherman, Dimitrie Dan and other clerics of the Metropolis of Bukovina.
According to Sîrbu, the scandal was also used by the Metropolitan's numerous adversaries, including Catholic missionaries, but also Orthodox priests investigated for corruption. The issue did grab attention in the Catholic world: according to columnist Jean-Marie of Échos d'Orient, the scandal broke Romanian Orthodoxy into two churches—a truly Orthodox one headed by Safirin; and a "presbyterian" one, unde
Gherasim Safirin