Bartolomé I and the Orthodox Church in Turkey:
second class citizens

Barely a handful of faithful met in the Cathedral of Saint George to celebrate a Mass with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, in honor of Saint John Chrystostom, one of the most venerated saints in the Orthodox Church. This is evidence of the situation the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey faces, surviving more than 463 years under the rule of the Sultan, the past 83 years under the secularist-Kemalist Republic years. Today, the Greek-Orthodox Church numbers barely three thousand faithful members.

The press officer of the Patriarchate, Peder Dositheos Anagnostopoulos indicated that of the almost 3 thousand faithful, "in twenty years, due to the average age of those counted it could be reduced in half", which increase the rumors that each time there less and less of the faithful, perhaps the Patriarchate established a thousand years ago in the present day Istanbul, should to be transferred to another See, but he emphasized that "when God establishes a Church in one place, its future is also in His hands."

In turn, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, recently indicated to the media the problems that his Church faces in Turkey, one of them, the lack of a place to form the priesthood candidates, since the Theological Institute of Calki was closed 35 years ago by the government. They are still awaiting an answer to all the letters written to the government.

"Perhaps the Patriarchate will be the only Church in the world that is not able to form its own priests" stated Bartholomew I, therefore our priests usually come from Greece or the U.S., nevertheless the government does not authorize their permanent residence and they should serve their flock as "tourists", which forces them to leave the country every three months to renew their visa.

Another point of concern for the Patriarch is the subject of his successor, because Turkey is made up of only a few bishops and they all are already advanced in age, due to Turkish laws, this post can only be occupied by someone born on Turkish soil, which leaves less possibilities for an election.

The matters regarding property are also complicated, in a country where the property of the Church on temples, convents and other buildings should be assured. The recent law on sponsors and foundations approved by Parliament does not solve the problem, however, Bartholomew I sees some positive elements. Regarding the treatment Christians receive from the Turkish State, Bartholomew I, denounces the injustice in being treated like second class citizens, "it is unjust, we are citizens of this country like any another Turk. Priests perform thier civic obligations, we pay taxes, we do our military duty, we participate in elections, but we do not have the same rights, we are second class citizens."

"The next visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Constantinople on occasion of the Feast of Saint Andrew is a source of happiness" emphasizes the Patriarch. This trip should also be seen as significant for dialogue with Islam, since Turkey is the first country with a Muslim majority that the Holy Father visits.

The Ecumenical Patriarch is convinced that the visit of the Pope to Turkey will address themes like that of the rights of minorities and religious freedom, "since the Vatican has always promoted both issues."

Thanks to Joseph Ratzinger's the deep knowledge of orthodox theology and his efforts for ecumenism, "all of the world’s orthodoxy has rejoiced by his election". On the otherhand, Bartolomé was relieved that in spite of the negative reactions on the part of the Turkish media about the Pope’s speech in Regensburg, the Vatican and the Holy Father determined not to cancel his scheduled visit.