The Pope, the Patriarch and Turkey
Dr. George Voskopoulos
September 16, 2005
The Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch based in Istanbul has recently invited the Pope to visit the Patriarchate in an effort to beef up relations between the two Churches.
The effort was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II, a pious and charismatic religious figure, whose attempt to rebuild bridges between the often antagonistic sects of Christianity materialized and received a positive response even from those Orthodox that considered Catholicism an antagonistic alter ego. The momentum created by such constructive approach was adopted by the newly elected Pope, but has to overcome the realities of Turkish policy vis-à-vis Christian populations.
It was only recently that the Vatican accused Turkey of violating the rights of Christians in the country, an accusation taken badly by Turkish officials and public opinion. Following the patriarch’s open invitation to the Pope, the Turkish government refused to provide the required security means to ensure the safety of the Pontiff during his visit to Turkey.
Turkish officials suggested that the Pope’s visit to the Patriarch without the consent of the Turkish government would constitute an insult to the Turkish state and “would create serious problems”. Under this spectrum, the government refused to provide assistance to the Pope stating blatantly that the Pope himself “would be responsible for his security” during his visits to sites of historical and religious interest.
In essence the response was a tit-for-tat reaction to the views of the Vatican towards Turkey’s European accession and a rejection of the ecumenical character of the Patriarchate, a policy that aims at undermining the role, symbolic, ecumenical, religious and spiritual, of the Patriarch.
This policy has become a thorn in the relations between Turkey and Vatican and also between Ankara and several European capitals, where intolerant attitudes are not appreciated, particularly in the face of Turkey’s effort to join the EU.
The Vatican’s policy towards Ankara has created a negative atmosphere in Turkey and brought to the surface what supporters of Turkey’s accession in the EU have feared all this time, namely the inability to operate according to the norms and rules of the European family of democratic states.
Turkey’s inability to adopt a revised view towards otherness, whether it be religious, political and ethnic, constitutes the most serious obstacle in its course to European accession. It undermines its efforts to become a functional democratic society and questions the relative gains from its integration into the EU.
Above all it undermines the substantial efforts of the Vatican and the Patriarchate to create the momentum for inter-religious understanding so needed under today’s circumstances.
The effort was inaugurated by Pope John Paul II, a pious and charismatic religious figure, whose attempt to rebuild bridges between the often antagonistic sects of Christianity materialized and received a positive response even from those Orthodox that considered Catholicism an antagonistic alter ego. The momentum created by such constructive approach was adopted by the newly elected Pope, but has to overcome the realities of Turkish policy vis-à-vis Christian populations.
It was only recently that the Vatican accused Turkey of violating the rights of Christians in the country, an accusation taken badly by Turkish officials and public opinion. Following the patriarch’s open invitation to the Pope, the Turkish government refused to provide the required security means to ensure the safety of the Pontiff during his visit to Turkey.
Turkish officials suggested that the Pope’s visit to the Patriarch without the consent of the Turkish government would constitute an insult to the Turkish state and “would create serious problems”. Under this spectrum, the government refused to provide assistance to the Pope stating blatantly that the Pope himself “would be responsible for his security” during his visits to sites of historical and religious interest.
In essence the response was a tit-for-tat reaction to the views of the Vatican towards Turkey’s European accession and a rejection of the ecumenical character of the Patriarchate, a policy that aims at undermining the role, symbolic, ecumenical, religious and spiritual, of the Patriarch.
This policy has become a thorn in the relations between Turkey and Vatican and also between Ankara and several European capitals, where intolerant attitudes are not appreciated, particularly in the face of Turkey’s effort to join the EU.
The Vatican’s policy towards Ankara has created a negative atmosphere in Turkey and brought to the surface what supporters of Turkey’s accession in the EU have feared all this time, namely the inability to operate according to the norms and rules of the European family of democratic states.
Turkey’s inability to adopt a revised view towards otherness, whether it be religious, political and ethnic, constitutes the most serious obstacle in its course to European accession. It undermines its efforts to become a functional democratic society and questions the relative gains from its integration into the EU.
Above all it undermines the substantial efforts of the Vatican and the Patriarchate to create the momentum for inter-religious understanding so needed under today’s circumstances.
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