Non-Canonical Turkish Orthodox Church Says Sues Constantinople Patriarchate Over Ukraine

The non-canonical Turkish Orthodox Church has filed a lawsuit against the Patriarchate of Constantinople over the latter's decision to proceed with the provision of autocephaly to the church in Ukraine in a move that may result in Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew being expelled from Turkey, spokeswoman Sevgi Erenerol told Sputnik on Tuesday.

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2018) The non-canonical Turkish Orthodox Church has filed a lawsuit against the Patriarchate of Constantinople over the latter's decision to proceed with the provision of autocephaly to the church in Ukraine in a move that may result in Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew being expelled from Turkey, spokeswoman Sevgi Erenerol told Sputnik on Tuesday.

The Turkish Orthodox Church was formed in 1922 by the decision of the Turkish government, which tried to create a national Orthodox church, not affiliated with Greek Orthodoxy. Despite the small number of parishioners, the church has three cathedrals in Istanbul. It is not recognized by any of the 15 local Orthodox churches. Currently, the Turkish Orthodox Church is headed by Patriarch Eftim IV (Erenerol).

"We have today filed a lawsuit in court, where we indicated that this is a political matter and has nothing to do with religion. Bartholomew does not have the authority to send his exarchs to Ukraine and give autocephaly to its church. According to the Lausanne Peace Treaty of 1923, the status of the Patriarch of Constantinople is limited to the administration of religious services of the Greeks living in Turkey," the spokeswoman said.

She called the actions of Bartholomew a crime according to both Turkish law and the Lausanne Treaty, which clearly spelled out his responsibilities and terms of reference.

"Bartholomew exceeded his authority and intervened in relations between countries, in their internal affairs. And since he did it, he would not be able to stay in Turkey," Erenerol added.

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which agreed at a meeting in Minsk on Monday to break ties with the Ecumenical Patriarch, argued that the Patriarchate in Constantinople did not have the authority to annul the ROC's decisions.

The breakup followed a controversial decision by the Constantinople Synod to grant independence to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and lift anathema from the leaders of two non-canonical churches, excommunicated by the ROC's for schism. Constantinople also reversed a 1686 decision, which transferred the Kiev archdiocese to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Russian Orthodox Church warned earlier this could affect millions of people in Ukraine and abroad. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate said the synod's decision was a hostile act that interfered with the Ukrainian church's affairs.