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ANSA English Media Service
December 3, 2004
TURKEY/USA: CONSTANTINOPLE PATRIARCH STRAINS RELATIONS
By Lucio Leante
ANKARA
(ANSA) - ANKARA, December 3 - Relations between the Turkish
government and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara were strained after
the embassy invited Constantinople Orthodox patriarch
Bartholomew II to a reception in Istanbul, calling him
"ecumenical (global) patriarch" of Orthodox Christians across
the world, while Turkish authorities recognise him as patriarch
of Orthodox Christians only in their country.
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Bartholomew
II was "an ordinary Turkish citizen" and accused the U.S.
embassy of having secret motives in deliberately bestowing him
with an inaccurate title.
The embassy's aim is to disturb religious peace in Turkey,
Erdogan said.
The prime minister added he had ordered all ministers and
other senior state officials not to attend both this reception
and other similar events the U.S. embassy might organise in the
future.
"The United States have always considered Bartholomew II an
ecumenical patriarch," U.S. ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman
said in a statement.
"Our calling Bartholomew an ecumenical patriarch is not a
sign of a shift in our policy. All reluctant to attend our
receptions are free to abstain from attending," Edelman added.
"We are not going to deny our identity and Turkey's
authorities are not going to tell us who we are," Bartholomew II
said.
"The title 'ecumenical' is a historic one and has been first
given to the Constantinople patriarch in 451 A.D.," patriarchy
spokesman Dositeos Anagnastopulos said.
"The title cannot be changed and there is no need to because
it refers only to the Christian Orthodox Church and does not
have any political significance," he added.
The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, in which the European powers
recognised Turkey's independence and received guarantees
concerning the status of three non-Muslim communities in the new
and predominantly Muslim Turkish state: Jewish, Greek Orthodox
and Armenian, recognises the Fener patriarch, as Bartholomew is
called in Istanbul after the name of the district where the
Orthodox patriarchy is located, as spiritual leader only of the
2,000-strong Turkish Orthodox community.
However, Bartholomew also claims to represent the nearly 320
million Orthodox Christians in the world, in competition with
the Russian and Greek patriarchs who claim to do the same.
"The Russian, Greek and Serbian Orthodox churches are hostile
towards Bartholomew and Turkey," Bilgi University professor
Niyazi Oktem told local news channel NTV.
"Turkey's interest does not lie in giving up a power to the
benefit of other countries but in keeping as much power for
itself. Why should we help the Russian patriarch who is enemy of
Turkey?" Oktem added.
The true reason behind Turkey's reluctance to recognise
Bartholomew as ecumenical patriarch is that Turkey's Islamic
authorities could not bear their predominantly Muslim country to
become a global Christian Orthodox centre and fear it might
become an Orthodox Vatican on Muslim ground.
It is for this reason that the Orthodox seminary in
Heybeliada, an island close to Istanbul, has been closed by law
and the government of the Justice and Development party, which
is believed to have Islamic roots, has not allowed it to re-open
as demanded by the European Union (EU) with whom Turkey hopes to
start entry talks soon. (ANSA).
(BZ/krc)
December 3, 2004
TURKEY/USA: CONSTANTINOPLE PATRIARCH STRAINS RELATIONS
By Lucio Leante
ANKARA
(ANSA) - ANKARA, December 3 - Relations between the Turkish
government and the U.S. Embassy in Ankara were strained after
the embassy invited Constantinople Orthodox patriarch
Bartholomew II to a reception in Istanbul, calling him
"ecumenical (global) patriarch" of Orthodox Christians across
the world, while Turkish authorities recognise him as patriarch
of Orthodox Christians only in their country.
Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Bartholomew
II was "an ordinary Turkish citizen" and accused the U.S.
embassy of having secret motives in deliberately bestowing him
with an inaccurate title.
The embassy's aim is to disturb religious peace in Turkey,
Erdogan said.
The prime minister added he had ordered all ministers and
other senior state officials not to attend both this reception
and other similar events the U.S. embassy might organise in the
future.
"The United States have always considered Bartholomew II an
ecumenical patriarch," U.S. ambassador to Turkey Eric Edelman
said in a statement.
"Our calling Bartholomew an ecumenical patriarch is not a
sign of a shift in our policy. All reluctant to attend our
receptions are free to abstain from attending," Edelman added.
"We are not going to deny our identity and Turkey's
authorities are not going to tell us who we are," Bartholomew II
said.
"The title 'ecumenical' is a historic one and has been first
given to the Constantinople patriarch in 451 A.D.," patriarchy
spokesman Dositeos Anagnastopulos said.
"The title cannot be changed and there is no need to because
it refers only to the Christian Orthodox Church and does not
have any political significance," he added.
The 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, in which the European powers
recognised Turkey's independence and received guarantees
concerning the status of three non-Muslim communities in the new
and predominantly Muslim Turkish state: Jewish, Greek Orthodox
and Armenian, recognises the Fener patriarch, as Bartholomew is
called in Istanbul after the name of the district where the
Orthodox patriarchy is located, as spiritual leader only of the
2,000-strong Turkish Orthodox community.
However, Bartholomew also claims to represent the nearly 320
million Orthodox Christians in the world, in competition with
the Russian and Greek patriarchs who claim to do the same.
"The Russian, Greek and Serbian Orthodox churches are hostile
towards Bartholomew and Turkey," Bilgi University professor
Niyazi Oktem told local news channel NTV.
"Turkey's interest does not lie in giving up a power to the
benefit of other countries but in keeping as much power for
itself. Why should we help the Russian patriarch who is enemy of
Turkey?" Oktem added.
The true reason behind Turkey's reluctance to recognise
Bartholomew as ecumenical patriarch is that Turkey's Islamic
authorities could not bear their predominantly Muslim country to
become a global Christian Orthodox centre and fear it might
become an Orthodox Vatican on Muslim ground.
It is for this reason that the Orthodox seminary in
Heybeliada, an island close to Istanbul, has been closed by law
and the government of the Justice and Development party, which
is believed to have Islamic roots, has not allowed it to re-open
as demanded by the European Union (EU) with whom Turkey hopes to
start entry talks soon. (ANSA).
(BZ/krc)