Excerpts from an analysis published by the Minister of
Foreign Affairs –Republic of Turkey—Mar-May 1998 Journal of International
Affairs
THE
FENER GREEK PATRIARCHATE
by
A.
SUAT BİLGE
Dr. A. Suat Bilge is Professor of International Relations and Ambassador
(retired).
“….The Turkish government would have the right to control the
designation of the Patriarch and limit his actions… “….the candidate must be a
Turkish citizen with an occupation in Turkey at the time of the election. Meletios…. was compelled to resign
….Grigorios was elected Patriarch on 6 December 1923, in compliance with the
communiqué sent by the Istanbul Governor’s Office. During the next
elections, Konstantinos, who was
not favoured by Turkey, was elected Patriarch…. The Turkish authorities forced Konstantinos to leave by
train and he was forced to resign. . In November 1948, Athénagoras, the Archbishop of North and
South America, was elected Patriarch. During his assignment at Fener, he eliminated religious differences between
the Orthodox churches in Moscow and Istanbul, uniting the two. Some groups in Greece accused him of treason
due to his complete loyalty to the Turkish state…. In early 1964, the
requests for the abolishment of the Patriarchate once again came on the
agenda….Under
these circumstances, Athénagoras was forced to remain silent and his voice was
not to be heard any more….
Patriarch Bartholomew
wants to consolidate his power and become the “Eastern Pope”;
Constantinople: the “Vatican”
“….A controversy
concerning the Fener Greek Patriarchate started in Turkey in 1997. It was
stated that the Patriarchate could be used both for and against the interests
of Turkey. On the one hand, it was
claimed that the Patriarchate had intentions to establish itself as an
ecumenical church and become a state like the Vatican; that the Orthodox
world was trying to gain power in Turkey. On the other hand, some people stated
that Turkey could benefit from the prestigious position of the Patriarchate and
suggested an improvement in its status. First of all, I want to stress that the
Patriarchate no longer enjoys the importance it once possessed in Greek-Turkish
relations. Today, the Patriarchate is trying to become influential in Turkish-American relations...”
“…meaning
of the word ‘ecumenical’ is the honorary priority of the Fener Greek
Patriarchate over independent and equal Orthodox churches. …With this title,
the Fener Greek Patriarchate works for the unification of all Orthodox
churches. In the past, Orthodox churches were organized horizontally and on an
equal basis. For this reason, there is no hierarchy among them. The Fener Greek
Patriarch has no authority over the Archbishop of Athens or the Patriarch of
Moscow. The Fener Greek Patriarchate can unite with them only to the extent
they deem appropriate. “
“…..Is the
unification of Orthodox churches a religious or a secular issue, or even a
political activity? In an article published in Time magazine on 5 May 1997,
Patriarch Bartolomeos said: “We believe that Orthodox Christians have a special
duty in the improvement of East-West relations. Like the Turkish Republic, we
have one foot on each side.” The
responsibility mentioned by Bartolomeos is a political one. If we take into
consideration that such an activity also comprises relations between the
Orthodox churches in the United States and Russia, the political significance
of this activity for Turkey will become clear. After the collapse of the Soviet
Union, the Orthodox Patriarchate in Moscow gained significance once again. It
also wants to play a role at the international level. “
Moscow may eventually influence the election of the Patriarch….
“ As its very name suggests, the
Fener Greek Patriarchate is a church with an ethnic character; it is a Greek
church….”
“…In
the future, it will prove more and more difficult to find a Greek candidate who
is a Turkish citizen, since the size of the Greek community and thus the number
of Greek religious persons in Istanbul has been on a continual decline. The
problem can be overcome by granting non-Turkish Greeks the right to become
Turkish citizens, thus making them eligible to become a Patriarch.
Consequently, Americans who are not Turkish citizens, but might prove to be
useful to Turkey could become future Patriarchs.”
“…..According to the 1970
regulations, the Patriarch is elected by a secret ballot of the metropolites of
Istanbul and _mroz (Imros), through an election held at the Fener Greek
Patriarchate. There are requests for the amendment of this election system.
Some people suggest that the Patriarch should be elected by a Religious Council
comprising the representatives of all Orthodox churches, which are affiliated
to the Fener Greek Patriarchate, including those in the United States.….It is
not clear whether or not the supporters of the above mentioned proposal intend
to include Orthodox churches in Russia…..If
the new election system promotes the Patriarch to the ecumenical status, it
would be logical to expect that the Russians will also demand a say in the
elections. “
“….The new election
system will give birth to an international religious institution within Turkey
and the Ankara government will have difficulties in supervising the activities
and elections of such an institution.
In practice, the proposed system will hand over control of the
Patriarchate to Orthodox groups of Greek and Russian origin who are living
abroad….. “