|
Court Rejects Orthodox Patriarchate Status |
|
Written by Institute on Religion and Public Policy
|
Institute
Condemns Continuing Discrimination of Orthodox Church by Turkey
The following press release was issued by
the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (www.religionaandpolicy.org) on
Wednesday, June 27, 2007.
Washington, D.C.-A Turkish court Tuesday declared that
the Istanbul-based Orthodox Patriarch is only the head of the city's tiny Greek
Orthodox community and not the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million
Orthodox Christians.
While
this has no impact on the status of the Patriarch outside Turkey, it strengthens Turkish internal
resistance to acknowledging the greater role of the Patriarch and the Orthodox
community in Turkey.
"This decision is yet another indication that Turkey has no interest in advancing
a fair and balanced approach to freedom of religion," commented Institute
on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski.
Turkey
maintains tight controls on the Orthodox community, including rules requiring
that patriarchs must be Turkish citizens. This sharply limits the potential
pool of candidates to one day succeed Bartholomew. The patriarchate also has
pressed Turkey
to allow the reopening of a seminary that was forced to close more than two
decades ago, which under Turkish law further limits the pool of potential
successors to the 67-year-old patriarch.
The court ruled that "The Patriarchate, which was allowed to remain on
Turkish soil, is subject to Turkish laws. . . . There is no legal basis for the
claims that the Patriarchate is ecumenical."
"No government has the right or the authority to determine the
ecclesiology of a religious community," Mr. Grieboski stated. "Both
international and European laws are clear that a state cannot interfere in the
organizational structure of a faith. Turkey is once again showing that
freedom of religion is not a priority or concern, and that it has no true
interest in joining the European system."
|
