Orthodox Church Head: Turkey Treats Christians Poorly
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Posted GMT 12-23-2009 22:47:13
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The head of the Eastern Orthodox Church said Christians are treated
like second-class citizens in Turkey, the land where the equivalent of
the Orthodox Church’s "Vatican" lies.

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual
leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians in the world, said in a CBS
"60 Minutes" interview broadcast this week that Turkey’s leaders,
including the prime minister, have been unresponsive to concrete
concerns he raised about religious inequality in the country.

Authorities have seized church properties, closed Orthodox churches,
monasteries and schools, causing Orthodox leaders and parishioners to
fear that the Turkish government wants to force the oldest church in
the world out of the country.

CBS correspondent Bob Simon noted that all that is left of the command
center of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul and that once ruled
the former Christian empire, is a complex of nine buildings "tightly
squeezed" on less than an acre of land.

"We are treated as citizens of second class," lamented the patriarch,
who noted that the Orthodox Church took root on the land long before
the country of Turkey was established and became a nation where the
population is 99 percent Muslim. "We don’t feel like we enjoy our full
rights as Turkey citizens."

In particular, the patriarch cited the forced closure of the country’s
only local Orthodox Patriarchal Seminary, called Halki, without proper
reason. Since Turkey only allows Turkey-born citizens to become the
patriarch, shutting down of the seminary essentially cuts off the
ability of the Orthodox Church to produce future generations of
leaders.

"It is a pity. It is a shame and a crime to keep such a school closed
and unused for no reason," said the patriarch, who is an alumni of
Halki. "This school prepared people who preach peace, who preach
unity, who preach love. So not giving to the church the possibility to
prepare these people (priests), we offend human dignity."

Bartholomew dismissed the idea of relocating the Ecumenical
Patriarchate. He emphasized that the Orthodox Church was established
in Constantinople and has continued to exist in the same location for
centuries.

"We love our country. We are born here," said Bartholomew, explaining
why the Church’s headquarters cannot be moved. "We want to die
here. We feel that our mission is here, as it has been for 17 entire
centuries."

He added in a sad tone of voice while looking at the ground, "I wonder
why the authorities of our country do not respect this history."

In addition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Turkey is home to some of
the oldest Christian sites in the world, including the Cathedral of
Hagia Sophia, built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 537 A.D., as
well as many of the most famous monuments and churches in Christendom,
including those of Cappadocia.

The Patriarch, who was not hostile towards the Turkish government in
the interview, concluded by saying, "We prefer to stay here, even
crucified sometimes, because in the Gospel it is written that it is
given to us not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for
Christ."

Noting that he has never believed that the Orthodox Church could
eventually die out in Turkey, he said, "We believe in the
resurrection. After the crucifixion the resurrection comes."

There were nearly 2 million Orthodox Christians in what is now Turkey
at the turn of the 19th century. In 1923, Turkey expelled 1.5 million
Christians, and in 1955 about 150,000 Christians fled the country
after violent anti-Christian violence. Today, there are only 4,000
Orthodox Christians left.

Ethan Cole
Christian Post

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For Interview of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew featured in the
CBS News programme, please see from this link

es/main5990390.shtml?tag=3DcurrentVideoInfo;segmen tUtilities

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress