Beware of the 'Flag' on the table!..

April 20 was the Christian holiday of Easter.

In the message he released on this occasion, Erdoğan congratulated our Christian citizens belonging to various churches and groups on their holiday, stating, “As members of a civilization that centers on respect and love, we attach great importance to the fact that all our citizens, who have made Anatolia a land of peace for thousands of years, can freely live out their own religion, culture, and traditions.”

Indeed, this is true; even representatives of communities not considered minorities under the Treaty of Lausanne, such as the Syriac and Latin Catholic communities, are treated with the utmost respect.

Except for one.

The Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate, founded by Papa Eftim—who holds the Medal of Independence, was addressed as “Father Eftim” by Atatürk, and left the Fener Greek Patriarchate to support the National Struggle in protest of its missionary activities during the occupation of the country and its reporting of Mustafa Kemal and his comrades-in-arms to the imperialists—is not even mentioned.

Let us note just two characteristics of Papa Eftim.

He reacted to being referred to as a “friend of the Turks” by saying, “A foreigner can be a friend of the Turks. However, for a pure Turkish citizen like me to be portrayed as a friend of the Turks is an indication that his nationality is being doubted, and it is impossible not to be hurt or saddened by this...” And he defended the Turkish cause in Cyprus on every platform.

Setting aside the fact that they are never mentioned, the administrators of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate, who followed in Papa Eftim’s footsteps and opposed the Fener Greek Patriarchate’s claims of “ecumenicity” and its missionary activities, were also subjected to the Ergenekon conspiracy.

When the church’s spokesperson, Sevgi Erenerol, was arrested, Bartholomew, the head of the Fener Greek Patriarchate—who at the time was conducting “interfaith dialogue” activities with Fethullah Gülen and benefiting from the “openings”—not only embraced the Ergenekon case but was able to say, “They got what they deserved from God.” He also praised Erdoğan as follows:

“Mr. Erdoğan is more interested in minorities than our other politicians. He is brave and well-intentioned. He is taking brave steps by making openings to Armenians, Kurds, and Alevis. These are beneficial things for Turkey. We are sure our turn will come too.”

Returning to the Easter holiday; what was surprising was the attitude of CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. He also called the leaders of the Christian communities on Erdoğan’s list one by one to congratulate them on their holiday.

But not the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate!..

THESE THINGS HAPPENED IN IZNIK

Let us move on to the new activities of the Fener Greek Patriarchate.

Patriarch Bartholomew invited Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of Catholics and Head of State of the Vatican, to Turkey to celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, which has an important place in the history of Christianity.

He may want his participation, but take note: this invitation was not made through Erdoğan, but by a Turkish citizen heading an institution affiliated with the Fatih District Governorship!..

Pope Francis was most likely going to come on May 26, but he passed away.

Because of this event regarding the Council of Nicaea, the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate called the Turkish Nation to Nicaea the day before yesterday with the warning: “This time, the attack is directed directly at our national sovereignty, our indivisible integrity, Lausanne, Istanbul, and the unitary structure of the Republic of Turkey.”

That call received support from IYI Party Bursa Deputy Selçuk Türkoğlu and retired Colonel Orkun Özeller, Vatan Party officials, and retired Admiral Cihat Yaycı.

In the statements made in front of the Atatürk statue next to the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Nicaea, IYI Party Deputy Türkoğlu emphasized the following:

“This Council is not religious; it is an imperial uprising against the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey! Its goal is to disregard Lausanne, revive Sèvres, make Istanbul ‘Constantinople,’ and prepare the ground for the annexation of Gökçeada and Bozcaada! We will not allow this US-backed, Greek-guided, Vatican-like structure to pass!”

Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate Public Relations Officer and granddaughter of Papa Eftim, Sevgi Erenerol, Vatan Party Bursa Provincial Chair Dilek Çınar, and retired Admiral Cihat Yaycı also expressed similar concerns and demanded that the state not permit the Council of Nicaea meeting.

THESE THINGS WERE ALSO DISCUSSED IN ATHENS

While these things were happening in Nicaea, where was Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew?

He was in Athens, where he had gone for a five-day visit on May 7. His program included attending certain ceremonies there and commemorating the “Constantinopolitans” who lost their lives in the Second World War.

Let us note that our Ambassador to Athens, Çağatay Erciyes, hosted a breakfast at the Ambassador’s residence on Friday morning in honor of Patriarch Bartholomew, who went to Athens with the title of “Ecumenical,” and let us report his other contacts.

First and foremost, he was hosted by Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis.

Mitsotakis said of the visit of Bartholomew, whom he addressed as “His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch,” that it “always gives us strength and courage as we continue to walk the difficult path of rebuilding our homeland.”

After having breakfast with our Ambassador on Friday, Bartholomew attended a memorial service held in Palaio Faliro. In his speech there, he used expressions such as; “I am among the Constantinopolitans... And I am among the Athenians who embrace those who settled here from Imbros and Tenedos (Gökçeada and Bozcaada) as much as they do the Constantinopolitans... Our meeting today is our debt to the soldiers and volunteers from Constantinople who lost their lives during World War II.”

On the day before yesterday, when that meeting organized by the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate was held in Nicaea, he “received” many ministers and bureaucrats at his residence in Athens, most notably Socrates Famellos, the Chairman of SYRIZA, which was Greece’s main opposition party until recent months, as well as Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports Sofia Zacharaki, in addition to some church administrators.

After the “reception,” Defense Minister Dendias reported that he had “met with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew,” while SYRIZA leader Famellos announced that he had emphasized to the “Ecumenical Patriarch” that “the Halki Seminary should be reopened, Turkey should fulfill its obligations to protect the human rights and religious freedoms of the Greek minority in Constantinople and Imbros-Tenedos, and the status of the Hagia Sophia Church and Chora Monastery in Constantinople on the UNESCO World Heritage List should be restored.”

COINCIDENCES (!) IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REPORT

Since our people have started dreaming of the EU again; let us summarize the section regarding the Patriarchate in the European Parliament Turkey report, which was voted on recently.

While welcoming the increase in dialogue with Christian minorities, they once again demanded the following:

- Recognition of the legal personality of the “Ecumenical Patriarchate” and respect for the public use of the title “Ecumenical Patriarch”...

- Legal recognition of the Greek Orthodox communities in Gökçeada and Bozcaada...

- Full respect for and protection of the “outstanding universal value” of Hagia Sophia and Chora, both of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List and were converted from museums into mosques...

The meaning of all this?

The fact that the Patriarchate “flag” was placed on the table during the meeting between Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Turkish citizen Bartholomew is the summary of everything!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

May 12, 2025