[Ladbarbastirm]

By Bill Wunner, CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Patriarch Bartholomew leads 250 million Orthodox Greeks but his flock in Turkey has dwindled to just a few thousand
• Turkish laws, demographics and attitudes have been blamed
• Main seminary was closed in 1971, Turkey says only Turkish citizens can be patriarch, many Greeks left Turkey in 1950s
• Despite this the current patriarch is confident his community and church will survive

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the living embodiment of an ancient tradition. From his historic base in Istanbul, Turkey, the 270th Patriarch of Constantinople claims to be the direct successor of the Apostle Andrew.

Today he's considered "first among equals" in the leadership of the Greek Orthodox church, and is the spiritual leader of 250 million Orthodox Christians around the world. But few of them are in his own home country.
"We are a small Christian minority," Bartholomew laments.
"We have suffered because of Greek-Turkish confrontation, struggle, and a lack of mutual trust and confidence. And that is why we lost most of our faithful."

Turkey's once-flourishing Greek community is fading away. The country is predominantly Muslim and led by a secular government that's had a complicated relationship with the patriarchate.
If Turkish laws, demographics and attitudes aren't changed, Bartholomew could ultimately be the last Patriarch of Constantinople.
"We are not all in despair for the future of our church," Bartholomew said. "It is not easy, but it is not impossible."

The Turkish government can veto any candidate put forward for the position of patriarch. And it requires the patriarch be a Turkish citizen. Bartholomew is, but most of those best qualified to succeed him are not.
So the government has proposed offering Turkish citizenship to Orthodox archbishops overseas. Several have applied; so far, none has been approved.

The Turkish government also refuses to recognize the title Ecumenical Patriarch, or Bartholomew's role as an international religious leader.
Officially, he is viewed as a local bishop who leads a shrinking community of a few thousand Greek Orthodox citizens. Yorgo Stefanopulos is one of them. "I am a curiosity now in Turkey," he said. "We used to be a minority; now we are a curiosity."

Stefanopulos is an outspoken leader of Istanbul's Greek community. About 50 years ago, that community numbered more than 100,000. Today, it's probably less than 3,000.
He insists that decline was not accidental. Instead, he blames the Turkish government. Decades ago, he said, they targeted ethnic Greeks with nationalist policies, like wealth taxes, property seizures, and campaigns to speak only Turkish in the streets.
Then there was the pogrom in 1955: riots directed against Greeks and Greek-owned property. The violence was later found to have been orchestrated by Turkish authorities.
As a result, Greeks left Istanbul in droves. "The Turkish government somehow managed to do a bloodless ethnic cleansing," Stefanopulos said. Today's Turkish government says those events are from the distant past, and they're now looking ahead to reconciliation.

"Turkey is going through a period of transition," said Egemen Bagis, the country's Minister for European Union Affairs. "Turkey's becoming a much more democratic, much more prosperous, much more transparent society."
Yet, the government has resisted calls to reopen the patriarchate's main school of theology.
For more than a century, the Halki seminary educated future Greek Orthodox bishops, theologians and patriarchs, until Turkey's highest court ordered it closed in 1971. Since then, it's remained empty, worrying former students like theologian Satirios Varnalidis.
"We want to reopen this school so that we can provide new priests to the Ecumenical Patriarchate," Varnalidis said. "Otherwise, in a little while our community just won't have any more priests."

For years, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has talked of reopening the school. Bagis insists the government is still working on it.
Despite these difficulties, Patriarch Bartholomew is heartened by new signs of hope that his community and his church will survive.
"We have many young people from Greece who want to come and be established in Turkey," he says. "This is an opposite current than before."
Haris Rigas is part of that trickle of fresh immigration, which offers perhaps the best hope of reviving Istanbul's Greek community. "The minute I came I was in love with the city and felt that I had to live here," he said.
Rigas has been studying the city's indigenous Greek community. He's also a musician in a band that plays Rembetiko, a genre of old, mostly Greek, folk songs. His studies and his music are focused on the preservation and promotion of Greek culture.

"The only way for the community to survive is to attain a degree of visibility," he said. "They've played an important historical role in this city throughout the centuries, and I think they should still do it."
Earlier this month, the Turkish state and the Ecumenical Patriarchate made a historic step towards reconciliation.
Thousands of Orthodox Christians gathered for a prayer service at the ancient cliffside monastery of Sumela, near Turkey's Black Sea Coast, on August 15. Patriarch Bartholomew conducted a divine liturgy, the first Christian service of its kind at Sumela, in more then 80 years.
Even if Istanbul's Greek community makes a comeback, some fear that the patriarchate itself may not last much longer, due to demographics and lingering suspicion from the Turkish government.

And the patriarch remains hopeful and resolute. He rejects conjecture that he could be the last Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
"Absolutely not," Bartholomew insists. "We trust a divine providence, and the guarantee given to us by our Lord himself, that the church can survive.
"This is our faith, this is our conviction, this is our hope, this is our prayer. And all the rest we leave at the hands of God."
CNN's Ivan Watson and Yesim Comert contributed to this report

[MP+4]

They will need to translate the liturgical texts in turkish and attract turkish converts. I've known many greek natives of Constantinople who left there indigenous home in despair forever. Never were they compensated for abandoning their properties in the pogroms. I've also heard that in certain parts of Turkey many russians have emigrated.

[Ladbarbastirm]

I just can't believe that Turkey has made limitations on who could be the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

[AnetTeilor]

They will need to translate the liturgical texts in turkish and attract turkish converts. I've known many greek natives of Constantinople who left there indigenous home in despair forever. Never were they compensated for abandoning their properties in the pogroms. I've also heard that in certain parts of Turkey many russians have emigrated.

This may be of interest:

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010...-orthodox.html

[ugosanchezo]

The conditions of the Church in Turkey are quite horrible, and there is definite strangling being done by Turkish authorities. They have have set up a rival church, the "Turkish Orthodox Church" but it's miniscule. Much smaller than even the Church of Constantinople.

I agree with Kosta, that if the Church is to survive there, She must begin reaching out to ethnic Turks. The Greeks have left, there are very few. While Greek ethnic churches may continue to exist (much like they do now here in the U.S.) they need to be raising up Turkish parishes that worship in the Turkish language and are led by Turkish presbyters. They must act as missionaries in their own homeland and evangelize the Muslims around them. I don't really see another option .

[Ebjjrxrd]

The conditions of the Church in Turkey are quite horrible, and there is definite strangling being done by Turkish authorities. They have have set up a rival church, the "Turkish Orthodox Church" but it's miniscule. Much smaller than even the Church of Constantinople.

I agree with Kosta, that if the Church is to survive there, She must begin reaching out to ethnic Turks. The Greeks have left, there are very few. While Greek ethnic churches may continue to exist (much like they do now here in the U.S.) they need to be raising up Turkish parishes that worship in the Turkish language and are led by Turkish presbyters. They must act as missionaries in their own homeland and evangelize the Muslims around them. I don't really see another option .

It is not for me to judge, but the best thing the residing members of the Ecumenical Patriarchate can do is try to preach to these people and be martyrs for the Church. Nothing will draw more outrage and more converts than if more things happen. All of our Brothers and Sisters in the Phanar must be strong and steadfast and we must pray for them.

In Christ,

Reader Matthew Monos

[iroxmxinau]

Great points all around. I definitely believe the Church needs to publish large volumes of literature and writings of the fathers into the Turkish language. This is the first priority. Where can I contribute?

[iroxmxinau]

The writings of St. Palamas. In Turkish.

Anybody write Turkish?

[ugosanchezo]

Where can you even learn Turkish?

I mean, short of going to Turkey. I've never seen a university offer classes or anything! Rosetta Stone, maybe?

[popsicesHoupe]

Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, Byki, Berlitz, and others. Here's a sampling via Google.

[Agitoligflise]

OODE has texts in Turkish. I do believe some Greeks in Greece still know enough Turkish to communicate with the Turks. We must remember the Patriarch and the Orthodox church in Turkey in our prayers.

[Lilji]

I think this is a great example of how Greek nationalism (and Russian, Serbian, ect.) is tearing apart the church. I know many kids from school who were Greek Orthodox and said that they wish they could go to the Roman Catholic church because they could understand the service. The Orthodox Church in Turkey will fade if we don't destroy these ethnic barriers. Like others have said, if texts and services aren't in the country's native language, how do we expect the average citizen to desire to participate. I don't mean to put down anyone by this, I just feel we should leave our ethnicity's at the door of the church and become citizens of Christ.

[MP+4]

There are Turkish Orthodox in Turkey, but not many. I've actually met one. Worked with a turkish immigrant and asked her why she wore a cross. Surprised when she told me she was an Orthodox christian from time immemorable.

As far as greeks who want to to rc churches for english services is rare. Being greek-american I have never met any, and i know many greek-american youth that would even protest eliminating greek, most want more greek not less.

[AnetTeilor]

There are Turkish Orthodox in Turkey, but not many. I've actually met one. Worked with a turkish immigrant and asked her why she wore a cross. Surprised when she told me she was an Orthodox christian from time immemorable.

As far as greeks who want to to rc churches for english services is rare. Being greek-american I have never met any, and i know many greek-american youth that would even protest eliminating greek, most want more greek not less.

Sorry to repeat myself but if you check out the link http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010...-orthodox.html you will find a report of Turkish converts. What was most interesting is the report says that there about 1,000-which seems a lot but great may God grant by the prayers of the Mother of God more Turks to be joined the His Holy, Orthodox and Apostoloic Church

[lopaayd]

I think this is a great example of how Greek nationalism (and Russian, Serbian, ect.) is tearing apart the church. I know many kids from school who were Greek Orthodox and said that they wish they could go to the Roman Catholic church because they could understand the service. The Orthodox Church in Turkey will fade if we don't destroy these ethnic barriers. Like others have said, if texts and services aren't in the country's native language, how do we expect the average citizen to desire to participate. I don't mean to put down anyone by this, I just feel we should leave our ethnicity's at the door of the church and become citizens of Christ.

Regarding the language issues, I think that the best solution is to make one or two Sunday services each month in the local language. For the Greek church in America, that would involve Greek services and from time to time a service completely in English.

Here in Buenos Aires there is a ROCA church, which has the services in Church Slavonic, but the last Sunday of each month the service is in Spanish. This way, Russian immigrants can still follow the service in their native language, and Russian descendants can also understand what is going on.

[iroxmxinau]

Having the services performed in Turkish is a necessity for certain parishes and communities. The patriarchate should make this a top priority in my opinion. The goal is not to convert Turks into Greeks, but rather sinners into saints.