Church Call to Press Turkish Government on Religious Freedom

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Sheilagh Kesting, has asked the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office to emphasise the importance of ensuring the freedom of religious minorities in any discussions with the Turkish Government on the issue of EU membership.

The Moderator took the decision to write to the Foreign Office minister, Jim Murphy MP, in the aftermath of a Turkish court decision to recognise the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, only as the leader of the Orthodox Christian minority in Turkey rather than a focal point and unifying figure for Orthodox Christian churches throughout the world.

As far as the internal affairs of Turkey are concerned, this court decision effectively constitutes a downgrade in the status of the Orthodox Patriarchate. The court also ruled that the Patriarchate does not have any legal personality and that the Patriarch is not allowed to bear the title "ecumenical".

Miss Kesting advised the FCO of her "dismay" at the court decision, adding that "the ministry of the Patriarch and his office has been recognised as an international ministry since at least the sixth century, and its historic importance goes back to the third century. Not only is it the recognised point of co-ordination and unity among independent Orthodox Churches throughout the world, including many of the Orthodox churches represented in congregations throughout the United Kingdom, but the leadership of the Patriarchate is also recognised and appreciated by churches of a wide variety of Christian traditions."

In her letter, the Moderator went on to express concern over a possible political motivation for seeking to deny the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople outside the borders of Turkey. She remarked that the court ruling "must raise concern for the future of religious minorities in Turkey" and that it was "an extraordinary decision to be taking at a time when Turkey is seeking to become a full member of the European Union."

The Moderator has also written directly to the Ecumenical Patriarch, His All Holiness Bartholomew, as an expression of the Church of Scotland's solidarity at this challenging time.