Will Türkiye continue to turn a blind eye to the activities of the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate?

This question has been back on the agenda following the visit of Bartholomew, the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch, to the White House on September 15. Bartholomeos, who met with President Trump, stated that they discussed the reopening of the Heybeliada Seminary in Istanbul, the situation of Christians in West Asia, and the Ukrainian Church.

Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew uses the title “Ecumenical Patriarch” in his official activities which is claimed to “violate the sovereign rights of the Republic of Türkiye” and “engage in statements and activities that go against the constitutional order”.

Kaan Arslan, News Editor of Aydınlık newspaper, told us that Bartholomew’s activities were coordinated with the US and drew attention to his policy in Ukraine.

Hostile activities towards the sovereignty of Türkiye

Just like the Pope is seen as the leader of all Catholics, so too is Bartholomew seen as the leader of all Orthodox, or the “Ecumenical Patriarch”. If Türkiye continues to turn blind eye to this, it will damage Türkiye’s international relations in the long term. It could reach a point where it damages relations with Russia, Serbia and other Orthodox countries. Therefore, Türkiye must not turn a blind eye to this imperialist plan.

Bartholomew is indeed carrying out hostile activities towards the sovereignty of the Republic of Türkiye. Of course, he can’t carry out these alone. The US encourages or even forces the Church of the Holy Savior in Constantinople to implement its imperialist plans.

“Türkiye must limit the area of authority”

What Türkiye must do is to limit the area of authority of the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to be a place of worship affiliated with the Fatih district of Istanbul under the jurisdiction of the Fatih district government. In this limited frame, Bartholomew would only be responsible for Greek Orthodox Christians, Turkish citizens of Greek Orthodox origin, so he cannot issue any religious instructions to outside these people. In one sentence: he cannot act outside the Turkish constitution. However, since the Turkish state doesn’t oversee his activities, Bartholomew can position the Church at the very center of American imperialism’s plans.

“CIA coup” in Ukraine

In 2019, when Ukraine separated from the Russian Church as a part of the US’s project, the Fener Orthodox Church took the stage. Robert Amsterdam, the lawyer of the Ukrainian Church, said this very openly. He stated that the “Ukrainian Church was granted independence with a document signed by Bartholomew” and this was a “CIA coup”. The Fener Orthodox Church, with the support of then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, initiated the religious provocation almost three years before the war fueled by the US and Western powers.