Sabah newspaper on Wednesday revealed details of a spontaneous crisis that erupted during this month’s Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland over the title of the Istanbul-based Orthodox patriarchate.
Okan Müderrisoğlu of Sabah wrote in an article about Türkiye’s instant reaction to the recognition of the patriarchate as a "state entity" in the joint declaration of the summit, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The summit was attended by representatives from more than 90 countries, as well as civic society organizations. Türkiye was included in the list of countries and entities signing the declaration in the initial draft, while "ecumenical patriarchate" was not in that draft. The Sabah report says that name was included in the list days after the summit ended.
Since about 1600, the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of Saint 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.
The patriarchate’s definition of "ecumenical" is viewed as a challenge to Türkiye’s sovereignty and elevates it to a level almost equal to that of the sovereign Vatican.
The Foreign Ministry immediately urged the organizers to modify the list. Swiss and Ukrainian authorities had to issue a new list without the name of the patriarchate over the ministry’s call.
The patriarchate in Istanbul has authority over Ukraine’s Orthodox Church, which severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church amid tensions. Ankara has accepted the patriarchate’s participation in the summit in that capacity but has told organizers prior to the summit that their inclusion in the declaration would be unacceptable.
This was not the only crisis in the summit. Upon learning that Israel and the Greek Cypriot entity in divided Cyprus would attend the summit, one day before the event, the Foreign Ministry revised its plans of participation. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan cut short his participation and left the summit after making a speech at the main session of the summit. He scrapped moderating a panel scheduled for the second day and left for Türkiye.
Türkiye has no formal relations with the Greek Cypriot entity and recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), while relations with Israel were fully severed following the start of a new round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict last year.