Charges against Bartholomew I for calling himself ecumenical patriarch

Asia News ^ | July 19, 2007

[NYer]

» 07/19/2007 11:40

TURKEY
Charges against Bartholomew I for calling himself ecumenical patriarch
A desire to influence how Christian minorities will vote is behind the charges filed by a former member of the Bulgarian exarchate. It shows how secular fundamentalism uses Islam.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Two weeks after a Turkish court denied the Patriarchate of Constantinople the right to call himself ecumenical, Bartholomew I has come under attack once again by Bujidar Cipof, an ex-Church member of the Bulgarian exarchate of Constantinople which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Cipof has now filed charges against Patriarch Bartholomew, whose ‘crime’ is to have used in his latest speeches—during the successful July 11-15 Second Orthodox Youth Conference—the much deprecated historical expression “Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.”

Many in local diplomatic and media circles believe that behind the tug-of-war started by various ex-members of the Bulgarian exarchate, stand the guardians of the Turkish state who are sending signals to the country’s various Christian minorities, whom they suspect of favouring the party of outgoing Prime Minister Erdogan.

These elements within the Turkish state see themselves as the true protectors of the Kemalist legacy, which has however lost much of the founder’s initial élan, turning instead into a secular form of fundamentalism that has not refrained from using Islam in moments of political tensions, as suggested by David Shankland in his book Islam and Society Turke, (1999).

As much as it may seem strange in Western Europe, Christian minorities have never experienced the degree of tolerance that they have in the last 20 years under the governments of Ozal and Erdogan, both conservative and reformers, this according to a Turkish-born Orthodox prelate living in Berlin. Yet he did acknowledge Turkish education lacks elements from Greco-Roman culture that are useful in preparing a truly European ruling class.

Finally, Baskin Oran, a well-respected scholar and independent candidate in the upcoming elections, in an interview with the newspaper Radikal demolished piece by piece the recent court decision against the patriarch. And it is not without a certain ironic tone that he pointed that he would have never believed that courts in Turkey had become so well-versed in Orthodox ecclesiology, because after all the whole issue essentially revolves around Orthodox religious canons. (NT)

 

[NYer]

Orthodox ping!

[FormerLib]

...an ex-Church member of the Bulgarian exarchate of Constantinople which comes under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

It is very curious that there is no mention of whether or not this person is currently a member of any other Christian Church. I find it very odd (and highly suspicious!) that the story would have left out such a detail.

[kawaii]

since when can a turkish court ban this?

[FormerLib]

This is what they do when they hold the majority. You could lose your head if you oppose it.

[kawaii]

and they’re looking to make these dirt bags part of the EU...

[livius]

I agree. Making Turkey part of the EU is insane. Talk about a Trojan Horse.

[kawaii]

Nah a Trojan Horse is when you try to hide it.

[kosta50]

It is very curious that there is no mention of whether or not this person is currently a member of any other Christian Church

I am not sure why his name is spelled the way it is, but I suppose it is a Bulgarian name transliterated into Turkish. The name is Божидар Чипов (Bozhidar Chipov), a former member of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church Council in Istanbul, Turkey. As far as I know he is still a member of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The case involves the use of (koine) Greek as liturgical language in Bulgarian Churches in Istanbul, and the sue of Greek rather than Bulgarian language on baptismal certificates.

It also has to do with the defrocking by the EP of a Bulgarian priest for violating canons (using Bulgarian rather than Greek in the Divine Liturgy).

The problem is that the islamofascist Turkish state (which hasn't changed its satanic nature one bit) rules in 2003 what is to be the liturgical language of the Istanbul churches, thereby directly interfering in the church affairs.

Naturally, the EP does not consider that to be a legitimate ruling and has promptly dismissed a disobedient priest (Konstantin Kostov) for using Bulgarian in the liturgy on his own free will. Kostov also refused to mention the Echumenical patriarch in prayers as is required by Church canons.

Clearly, the pseudo-secular-islamic thug state aka Turkey decided to use the disobedience of another historically less-than-admirable nation (Bulgaria) as a mutual ally.

Needless to say, Bulgaria, which was known as the most Soviet of all non-soviet republics, when it was profitable to be pro-Soviet, and has been a good ally of Nazi Germany when it was cool to be freinds with Nazis, has now become the most western of non-western allies, and has been accepted to the EU. With islamofascist Turkey (a former ally of Germany) wishing to be "European," found a perfect love match made in hell with Greek-hating Bulgarians.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“since when can a turkish court ban this?”

1453.

[vladimir998]

Kosta,

Is the EP actually forcing the Bulgarian parishes to use Greek rather than Bulgarian (or Old Church Slavonic I suppose)?

[kosta50]

Is the EP actually forcing the Bulgarian parishes to use Greek rather than Bulgarian (or Old Church Slavonic I suppose)?

The official liturgical language of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is Greek. I am not sure how or why would Bulgarian churches in Constantinople, under EP's jurisdiction, be required to use Greek, but the canon certainly regulates that.

As far as I know, the issue broke over the use of Bulgarian (or Church Slavonic) in liturgy, and on baptismal certificates, as well as the fact that Kostov simply "excommunicated" the Patriarch by dropping his name from the tryptichs.

This was somewhat aggravated by the fact that the Turkish secular government "decided" a canonical issue of which language is to be used by the Bulgarian churches of the EP in Istanbul, and that the Bulgarians and Turks seem to be using each other for their own ends.

The Church provides for a legitimate process in order to change canons and it must be decided by the Synod. Neither the Turkish government nor the Bulgarian churches in Instanbul followed these canonical steps.

The Turkish government is in gross violation ofthe seperation of church and state, buit I wouldn't expect the Turkish officials to do anything esle, because that's the nature of Turkish theo-secular-dicatorship-democracy stew. Needless to say, the Rurks are unift to be considered Europeans. they are Muslims and and they are Asians. neither religiously nor culturally do they fit in Europe. But they would do an excellent job of destroying anything christiand and European, just like the rets of their Muslim hordes.

The sooner Europe expells all Muslims the better it will be imo.

[vladimir998]

Thanks for the info.

[Maeve]

I offer prayers for the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

In His Divine Mercy, may the Lord Jesus Christ appear to all of the Turks and convert them like St. Paul on the Road to Damascus.

[tiki]

A big AMEN to that sentiment.

[kosta50]

You are welcome.