France and UNESCO Also Said 'Patriarch of Constantinople'!..

U.S. President Trump, whose name Ankara has been afraid to mention ever since he attacked Iran, recently used the following words about Turkey and Erdoğan — words that amount to "Everything is under our control":

"Turkey has been extremely supportive of us. I think Turkey was magnificent, wonderful. They stayed out of the things we wanted them to stay out of. I think Erdoğan is a great leader."

The year was 2014; Erdoğan, making his first overseas visit as president to the TRNC, was asked — alongside the so-called "Cyprus issue" — "whether the construction of two demolished mosques in Athens, the election of muftis in Western Thrace by Turks, and the reopening of the Heybeliada Seminary were on the agenda." After emphasizing that Turkey's demands regarding the construction of mosques and the election of muftis had still not been met, Erdoğan said:

"You are still asking me about the Seminary. Opening the Seminary is not difficult — we can open it — but you must also keep your word. You were all born under the 'giving tree' and you grew up there. You have no 'taking' in you. Say 'take' for once. That is the issue."

Yes, the imperialists and their subcontractors were always born and raised under the "giving tree"; and unfortunately, we too have been sitting under the "taking tree" for decades!..

Here Is Your "Ottoman Millet System"

Ankara is quite fond of Trump and his colonial governor Tom Barrack, who proposes an "Ottoman Millet System"; this past 25 March marked the 205th anniversary of Greece's independence, won through a bloody uprising against the Ottomans.

At the military parade held during the celebrations in Greece, a group led by students of the Hellenic Naval Academy chanted insults at Turkey and shouted slogans such as "One people, one blood. Cyprus is Greece, Macedonia is Greece." At demonstrations in the Greek Cypriot sector, soldiers again declared, "We will light candles in Hagia Sophia. We will plant a cross on the walls of Istanbul. We will take down the Turkish flag and hang a crusader flag in its place. Cyprus is Greek." — and Ankara did not utter a single word. At least in the old days a diplomatic note would have been sent, wouldn't it?!

Let us now turn to the Greek Independence Day celebrations at the White House itself.

Our man Trump first issued a Presidential Proclamation, praising that bloody uprising — which the U.S. also supported — with words such as: "A noble crusade that broke the chains of despotic rule on 25 March 1821... Every nation's right to self-determination... was successfully forged in the fiery heat of conflict and sacrifice... We draw inspiration from the example of the Greek people, who refused to surrender their sovereignty and kept the flame of self-governance alive." He then declared 25 March a "national day of celebration."

At the event held at the White House on the occasion, Trump also said: "When the Greeks declared their independence from a foreign empire in 1821, they looked to a place called America. Since then, the United States and the Hellenic Republic have stood side by side as two proud and thriving nations." He emphasized that "America's and all of Western civilization's debt to the Greeks is ancient and eternal."

Thanks to Trump for the Seminary and Cyprus

The guest of honor at the White House celebration was Elpidophoros — a Turkish citizen (who recently also became a U.S. citizen) appointed by the Fener Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul, which under the Treaty of Lausanne is a Turkish institution, to serve as Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America in New York. In his address to Trump, he said:

"As children of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which you hosted in the Oval Office last September in the person of its longest-serving leader in history, we thank you for your unwavering support for the spiritual mission of our Patriarchate and His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos, and for your continued efforts toward the reopening of the Heybeliada Seminary. We thank you for having raised this matter with President Erdoğan. Mr. President, we are deeply grateful for your support for Greece and for the cause of justice in Cyprus."

We Are Close to Falling Out with Russia Over a 'Priest'

Let us continue with the Fener Greek Patriarchate, which under the Treaty of Lausanne is supposed to attend only to the religious needs of our citizens of Greek origin in Istanbul, Bozcaada, and Gökçeada.

After playing a leading role in the separation of the Ukrainian Church from the Russian Church, and then undertaking similar activities in the Balkan and Baltic countries, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) last January described Patriarch Bartholomeos as "the Antichrist of Constantinople... the robed Antichrist," claiming he was "the embodiment of the Devil... resembles false prophets," and alleged that he received support from British intelligence.

The SVR targeted Patriarch Bartholomeos again a few days ago. This time the reason was his involvement in activities aimed at determining who would succeed the late Georgian Patriarch Ilia II. The SVR reacted to this, declaring that "the desire for power has become the defining characteristic of the Constantinople-centered separatist structure," and that "Bartholomeos violated international church law by interfering in the internal affairs of the Georgian Church."

Here is where we are heading: Bartholomeos, who traveled to Georgia to lead the funeral service for Patriarch Ilia II, signed the message he sent to the Georgian Orthodox Church on the day Ilia passed away as "Bartholomeos of Constantinople."

The Treaty of Lausanne is being brazenly trampled... The groundwork is being laid for a falling-out with Russia... And yet, as always, not a word is heard from the Fatih District Governorate to which the Patriarchate is affiliated, nor from the Interior Ministry, nor from the Foreign Ministry!..

Bartholomeos's France Expedition

We do not know whether permission is obtained from state institutions; but on 28 March, French President Macron elected Patriarch Bartholomeos as a foreign member of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, filling the seat vacated by Pope Benedict XVI.

Bartholomeos, who traveled to Paris three days earlier to take up the seat, was received at the Academy as "Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople."

He held a 50-minute official meeting with Macron at the Élysée Palace, where he was received and seen off with a military ceremony. We could not learn how Macron addressed Bartholomeos at the meeting, which was also attended by the French Foreign Minister; however, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu used the title "Patriarch of Constantinople."

Was it only him?

He was also received "with honor" as "Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople" at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris by Khaled El-Anany, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) — an organization of which Turkey is a founding member.

Elected Muftis in Court, Bartholomeos in the Palace

While Turks who wished to perform Friday prayers with elected muftis rather than the muftis appointed by Greece at the opening of the Xanthi Madrasa in October 2024 are being prosecuted, Patriarch Bartholomeos described his situation in Turkey at a meeting in Thessaloniki last January as follows:

"We have informed the Turkish public about the identity and mission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In the early years we were a very closed institution; there was fear and hesitation. Now I observe that the President of the Republic of Turkey treats the institution with respect. He invites me to all the annual receptions at the Presidential Palace and we come together at various social events."

Evangelos Venizelos, one of Greece's former Deputy Prime Ministers, also spoke at the same meeting. After noting that "the Patriarchate, whose center is in Constantinople — the New Rome — is located within the territory of the Republic of Turkey, and that [the Patriarch] must act within the framework of the Constitution and legal order of the Republic of Turkey and follow the course of Greek-Turkish relations, which he is clearly influenced by even though he is not a party to them," he added:

"However, it is no coincidence that the Ecumenical Patriarch is perceived and accepted as an interlocutor by heads of state and government and by the UN Secretary-General, going beyond all legal formalities. Furthermore, all international organizations, the European Union and the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), and the European Court of Human Rights recognize the Ecumenical Patriarchate as an international entity and a subject of international law. This reflects the authority, competence, and influence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate... At the same time, the Council of Nicaea — a very great undertaking — the presence of Western Patriarch Pope Leo and his participation in the enthronement ceremony of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is, in my view, an acknowledgment that Christianity cannot exist without the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Western Christianity cannot exist without Eastern Christianity. Therefore, in our view, the East is an inseparable and fundamental, even structural, element of the West as a whole."

From Venizelos's words, the place and mission of the Fener Greek Patriarchate — situated in the heart of Istanbul — in the eyes of the imperialists becomes all the clearer, does it not?!

Bartholomeos had said, "Erdoğan invites me to all the receptions at the Presidential Palace"; and indeed he was also invited to the dinner given in honor of Greek Prime Minister Miçotakis's visit to Ankara on 11 February.

We learned from the Greek press that Miçotakis raised "the Cyprus and minorities issue and the removal of the 'casus belli'" during the talks with Erdoğan — whom he called his "valued friend" — and also that the following "worry bead" exchange took place:

When Miçotakis showed Bartholomeos his amber worry beads, Bartholomeos showed his own gold-beaded ones. This exchange caught Erdoğan's attention and he asked what they were talking about. When Miçotakis said, "We were talking about the worry beads you gave me as a gift," Bartholomeos said he liked them very much and that when he came to the Presidential Palace for iftar in March, he would like one for himself too. Erdoğan promised to give him the same worry beads as a gift!..

Indeed, Bartholomeos was hosted at the iftar dinner held at the Presidential Palace on 27 March in honor of "religious minority representatives"; but whether the worry beads were actually given as a gift, we do not know.

The Fatih District Governor Is Wanted

Şükrü Sina Gürel, one of Turkey's former Foreign Ministers, reacted to the invitation of Patriarch Bartholomeos to the dinner in honor of Miçotakis as follows:

"The Prime Minister of Greece and the Priest of the Fener Church... No Fatih District Governor in sight! We did not know that Bartholomeos was part of the Greek Prime Minister's delegation! I do not consider it likely that, during this government's tenure, we will see such photographs of the elected Mufti of Komotini at our officials' visits to Athens."

The Vatan Party also, through a petition submitted at the end of February, called upon the Fatih District Governorate — to which the Patriarchate is affiliated — to act, on the grounds that it "violates the Treaty of Lausanne, does not recognize Turkey's sovereign rights, and operates in contravention of the Constitution and laws."

Go ahead and look for the District Governor — good luck finding him!.. Why, you ask?..

Interior Ministry: "Not Within Our Duties and Responsibilities"

Setting aside the fact that Patriarch Bartholomeos is treated as a guest of honor at the Presidential Palace despite all his actions, let us explain the reason with two examples.

Last year, on 28 May, the Chief of the General Staff of Greece, Dimitrios Houpis, came to Istanbul to attend the 18th Conference of Balkan Chiefs of General Staff, hosted by then-Chief of the General Staff General Metin Gürak. When Houpis was received by the "Ecumenical Patriarch" and presented with a Hellenic map drawn in 1585 showing Istanbul and Thrace outside Turkey's borders, İYİ Party Tekirdağ MP Selcan Taşçı posed the following questions to then-Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who was responsible for the Fatih District Governorate to which the Patriarchate is affiliated:

"Was Patriarch Bartholomeos asked to provide information or an explanation regarding the map he received and the content of the visit?.. Has your Ministry taken any action to date against Patriarch Bartholomeos on account of his use of the title 'ecumenical,' which is contrary to our laws and the Treaty of Lausanne?"

On 2 September, Minister Yerlikaya responded to a full 16 parliamentary questions with the reply: "It has been assessed that the written parliamentary questions do not fall within the area of duty and responsibility of our Ministry." Among those 16 questions was Selcan Taşçı's question — how about that?!

On 16 January of this year, Selcan Taşçı directed several questions to Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz. Taşçı noted that the Center for Combating Disinformation "has issued corrections regarding many news reports and statements in various fields that have come to public attention," but that "no statement or correction has been found regarding the use of the term 'Ecumenical Patriarch,' which is used in a manner contrary to Turkey's secular and unitary state structure and its legally defined sovereign rights, nor regarding the use of 'Constantinople,' the name of Istanbul before it became a Turkish homeland." She then asked:

"Has any correction or statement been issued regarding news reports and articles that refer to Patriarch Bartholomeos, the Fener Greek Patriarch, as 'Ecumenical Patriarch'? If not, why has no step been taken on such an important matter?.. Has any correction or statement been made domestically or internationally regarding the use of 'Constantinople'? If not, what is the reason?"

Result: Written parliamentary questions must be answered within 15 days. 77 days have passed, and there is still no answer... Given the state Ankara is in, what can the Fatih District Governor possibly do, right?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

3 April 2026