Does Ecumenism Threaten the Sovereignty of the Republic of Türkiye?

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Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Patriarch Bartholomew I of the Cathedral of St. George the Ecumenical Patriarch, a title some Turks consider to be inconsistent with the Lausanne Treaty.

However, when something is given the title “ecumenical”, it is a purely spiritual title. Ecumenicalism is a religious and spiritual concept and therefore does not and cannot have political or administrative consequences for Turkey.

Also, Patriarch Bartholomew First in class Elected Pope by the Eastern Orthodox Church and spiritual leader of Orthodoxy worldwide, he frequently emphasized in press releases that the church had no such claim and that the title was purely religious and spiritual.

The Republic of Turkey is a secular state and does not interfere with the title used by the Christian faithful of the Patriarchate.

Moreover, the title ecumenical as a spiritual category is explicitly mentioned in the patriarchal charter.

The spiritual title of the Patriarch is described as “Great Head of the Eastern Church”, and documents issued by the Patriarchate during the Ottoman period always used the phrase “Ecumenical Patriarchate”.

What does the Treaty of Lausanne contain?

According to the Treaty of Lausanne, signed on 8 January 1923, the Patriarchate was described as the “Ecumenical Patriarchate”..

Article 42 of the Lausanne Treaty states that the Turkish government “undertakes to provide full protection to religious institutions of the Muslim minority, except churches, synagogues and cemeteries.”

There is no doubt that the Patriarchate is included among these “other institutions.”

The spiritual titles that existed up to Lausanne were also fundamentally preserved, since the same article stipulated that “établissements religieux” or religious institutions would be granted all kinds of autonomous charters.

It is expected that the Turkish state will not interfere in the use of these historical and religious names, will maintain fairness, and will take legal action against anyone who interferes.

Moreover, the Vatican, other religious authorities and churches, many Islamic countries, EU countries, the United States, etc. use the term ecumenical.

One cannot expect the Patriarchate to “reject” the use of its ecumenical title by renouncing its own spiritual title.

If the Patriarchate were to do something like that, it would lose its reputation in the eyes of the Orthodox Christians. To expect and demand such an attitude from the Patriarchate would mean “interference with religious freedom.”

The reason the Patriarchate itself uses this title is because it cannot be expected that religious authorities will not use this title, and since the Vatican also uses this title, its religious reputation may be damaged.

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‘It wasn’t a problem for my ancestors, and it won’t be a problem for me.’

When asked in 2010, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said ecumenicalism was not a problem for him: **”**It was not a problem for my ancestors, so it is not a problem for me.”

Therefore, the use of these spiritual titles does not bring any direct detrimental consequences to our nation.

Rather, the fact that the spiritual head of the Orthodox Church is in Turkey and is a Turkish citizen facilitates dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Christian world and helps Turkey recognize the Christian world as a country that guarantees religious freedom.

In short, it is clear that the term “ecumenical” does not result in threatening the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey.

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On the other hand, this title is the spiritual leader of all Orthodox believers, whose center is the Istanbul Patriarchate, the first church of Christianity. This is stated in the patriarchal charters and maxims, and was protected in the Ottoman legal system for centuries and is still valid today.

The Patriarch of Istanbul is the first among equals, which has spiritual significance.

In our country, there are more than 1,000 charitable and religious cultural monuments and Orthodox churches in various regions of Anatolia.

There are 40 large cities, thousands of churches, educational and charitable institutions, and 300 million Orthodox Christians. Religious faith and ecumenicalism are matters of religious faith and order.

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It is self-evident that the term “ecumenicalism” does not result in threatening the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey, and the use of this term by the US, EU authorities and the Vatican has no other purpose than the use of a term of spiritual courtesy, and is completely devoid of political and administrative consequences.

Article 24 of the Turkish Constitution recognizes freedom of religion and conscience as a right and protects it as follows:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religious belief and belief.” Article 14: …

“No one shall be compelled to worship, to participate in religious rites or rituals, or to declare his religious beliefs and convictions. He shall not be condemned or accused because of his religious beliefs and convictions.”

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On the other hand, as is well known, the concept of ‘secularism’ essentially separates religion and state affairs and guarantees freedom of religion and conscience, and this phenomenon was also stated in the Constitutional Court’s decision in September 2012.

“In a secular political system, an individual’s preferences in religious matters and the way of life formed by them are outside the scope of state intervention but are subject to state protection.** In this sense, the principle of secularism guarantees freedom of religion and conscience,” the decision states.

Therefore, the use of this religious title, which is recognized by the Church to which the Patriarch belongs and by his fellow believers of his denomination, and which has no other social, economic, political or legal status or claims than those of all citizens living in society, is entirely within the scope of freedom of religion and conscience, and any opposition to it essentially constitutes a crime.

What happened at the Ukraine peace talks?

His Holiness the Holy Father Patriarch has accepted the request for independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which had long seceded from the Russian Orthodox Church and applied for autocephaly to the Istanbul Patriarchate at the urging of Ukraine.

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At the Ukrainian peace talks in Switzerland, Ukraine asked the patriarch to participate as an observer, and Switzerland invited him to the conference.

There was no signed text at the meeting, and it is unlikely that the Patriarch signed the text. Our Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also attended the meeting, which was attended by the Vatican and the UN.

Since the Istanbul Patriarchate is the “first among equals” in the Orthodox world, the Greek Patriarchate of Fener has the right to grant independence to the church.

Therefore, the Patriarch has the authority to appoint archbishops for all Orthodox churches throughout the world, which is a religious, spiritual and moral authority.

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This authority has been granted to the Istanbul Patriarchate since the time of Mehmed the Conqueror.

Today, it must have the authority to maintain its own spiritual identity, which must also include a title.

Kezvan Hatemi is a lawyer best known for her work on women’s rights and minority rights. She is also an advisor to Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

At Euronews, we believe every view matters. Contact us at view@euronews.com to submit your pitch or submission and join the conversation.

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This opinion article was originally published in Turkish and has been edited for clarity.