The Eastern Orthodox Church faces continual persecution in Turkey. This was brought to light recently when the US Ambassador used the title Ecumenical Patriarch on an invitation to a party he sent out.
"The government of Turkey insists that the office of the Ecumenical Patriarch must be held only by a Turkish-born citizen, even though a more qualified candidate may be found among the plethora of educated Orthodox clergymen worldwide thus leaving the church at times without the brightest and the best. This is like saying that only an Italian can be Pope of Rome."
"Ignoring the pleas of the United States and the E.U. to reopen the Halki Theological School, Turkey has closed the last Christian Theological school left in Turkey. This means that clergymen may no longer be educated by the exceptional standards of the famed Patriarchal school of Halki."
"We heard the Muslim call to prayer in this supposedly secular country, but Christains are not accorded the same rights or more importantly respect."
Hellenic News of America
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