Orthodox Patriarcate of Istanbul.?

Question

There have been so many debates between Greece and Turkey on this topic.Please, only serious and objective answers will be accepted from both parts..
Answers based on fanatism by both sides are not accepted..
This is a topic, we are discussing so much in Greece, and i want your opinion, the opinion of the simple citizens of both countries without any religious purpose, just what you are thinking of it, and how it should be handled...

I agree Pelin

Bosporus baby thank you , once again very detailed information

Ciao tesoro anche in italiano

Answer 1

Leonarda to answer your question i was searching for the link of advertisement of Istanbul. unfortunately i couldn't find.
I will make an edit as soon as i find it.
Although i am not into religions i think that the thing makes a city or a country different than others is the variation of the cultures. Istanbul is a good example for that( it is my opinion).
If the republic is secular, there are no religions intefering in the gouvernment, if eveybody is equal in front of the law everybody has the right to live their lives as they want.

Answer 2

The controversy arises from our laicist laws, rather than good will or bad will among us.

The law states that any religious affair is arranged by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. There is no independent Muslim establishment that rules the affairs of Muslims, so there can be no independent Orthodox establishment that will rule the affairs of Orthodox Christians. Of course, the structure of the said Ministry can be discussed and the discussion would be a legitimate one, because the Ministry caters to the needs of Sunni Muslims only, disegarding 15 million or so Alevi Muslims.

There is also the religious school issue. With regard to the Armenian Patriachate, again, by law, all schools are connected to the Ministry of National Education and at university level, the Theology Faculties in various universities raise Islam Thelogians, and you cannot establish a religious school outside the system. It was proposed to the Patriarchate to do likewise and establish theirs in one of the universities, under the Theology faculty, but they declined, saying they will be independent.

So. The issue is that, there are a set of rules for Turkish citizens, there are also a set of rules coming from the Lausanne treaty for minorities and any Patriarchate has to abide by them. As they want new rules for themselves and the Turkish government declines, there seems to be a controversy.

Personally, I haven't taken a side about this, because my awareness ends here. For me, any Turkish citizen, whatever the conviction, must be having his/her education in a modern, laicist education system, and do his/her praying in his/her holy place. As for theology, well, the Theology Faculties in Turkey raise really knowledgable and enlightened Islam scholars, and I'm sure a new branch could raise Orthodox scholars, too.

Wow. Aren't I a chatterbox.

Edit: You're welcome, dear.

Answer 3

every institution as old and important as this one should be respected and considered as heritage for the country it is found in, even if the main religion of this country is different. Think of the Dalai Lama, his seat is not necessarily in a buddhist country, but he is respected. It was wrong to exile him!
Especially the Patriarch Bartholomeos is such a wonderful person, respecting and loving Turkey, respecting and loving all the world, the nature, animals, ecology, etc. I think he is an asset even for Turkey, as are the Byzantine monuments there, many of which are of utmost importance on an international scale but they are left to collapse because they don't represent a part of the history of Turks apparently. This is wrong, Turkey - and every country - should rejoyce at all the heritage it has, even if inherited by a foreign civilisation. Not to mention religious liberty etc., which are a presupposition of every culture that respects human rights.

Answer 4

Istanbul (Constantinople) exchange into the critical city of Christianity till approximately 800 a.d. Then Charlemagne replaced it to Rome, which exchange into nearer to France. whether, i think of that eastern orthodox Christians nevertheless evaluate Istanbul to be their critical city to this present day.

Answer 5

well this is a big subject to discuss

but above all the matter of accepting the existence of Patriarchy in ist is not a problem about the present government of Erdogan

it is a matter of the inner structure and organization of Turkish society
In order to keep its non Islamic character, Turkey must be in position to accept other religions and beliefs among its citizens
the existence of Patriarchy is a proof that Turkey is a modern country equal to the rest that are in European Continent
I believe that open minded opinions will prevail

Answer 6

It is a tradition in all countries to exits churches, and patriarchates always been respected in Istanbul, and should be respect always... The tolerance religious is necessary...

Answer 7

Debbo ammettere che hai parlato benissimo non ho capito bene una parte, ma sono sicuro che se tu fosti al posto mio pure tu non avresti compreso.
Passavo di qui.
In ogni caso questo e il mio parere, se rimaniamo soli su di un isola starò benissimo.
Non so se la risposta che ho dato è attinente alla domanda ma se non lo fosse basta che dici che sei d’accordo con me.
PS. Non premiare la mia risposta basta che dici si.
ciao

Answer 8

It should not happen you know, ABSOLUTELY, WE HAVE TO PREVENT THIS, this is serious, because god the only one that we should love,because god the one who created us.we should be thankful to god. i'm just thinking that we (as the one who fight) should make a campaign or we just make a new asociation that combines all kind of religion together to prevent this problem( i'm MUSLIM)