Türkiye has reaffirmed the status of its Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate after claims that it attended last weekend’s Ukraine peace summit as a “state.”
Ankara strongly rejected the allegations that the patriarchate, an Istanbul-based religious entity with millions of followers from around the world, took part in the summit as a state and its Archbishop Bartholomew I held a formal bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan there.
“The fact that Türkiye has no change in state policy regarding the status of the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is exempt from any explanation,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said Thursday.
Since about 1600, the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George has been the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, whose leader is regarded as the “primus inter pares” (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox Church and is frequently looked upon as the spiritual leader of the 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
The patriarchate operates under the auspices of the Turkish Constitution and laws. It has no more authority or right than any church or synagogue that serves non-Muslim minorities in Türkiye.
The patriarchs reside under the Fatih Governorate in Istanbul and the city’s governorate.
The Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate’s presence in Türkiye is ensured by the post-war 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, but the treaty doesn’t reserve an exclusive clause on the church itself and leaves it up to the Turkish government to regulate its legal status.
Türkiye considers the patriarchate as a religious establishment that abides by the republic’s laws and meets the religious needs of its Greek Orthodox minority.
