Tag: Patriarch Bartholomew I

Turkey’s Churches publish landmark book of common Christian doctrine

March 28, 2018 Turkey Armenians, Catholics, Haghia Sophia, Istanbul, Orthodox, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Protestants, Turkey

A joint commission of Turkey’s major Christian denominations has published an historic book of concise Christian doctrine, receiving the unprecedented endorsement of all the nation’s Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Syriac and Protestant Churches. According to Armenian Bishop Sahak Masalyan, keynote speaker at the formal book launch in Istanbul of the English . . . Read More

5 years on, what has Pope Francis done for religious freedom?

March 19, 2018 Global News -- No Particular Country Al-Azhar, Asia Bibi, Boko Haram, Egypt, Havana, Human rights, Iraq, Latin America, Minorities, Myanmar, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis, Religious freedom, Syria, Turkey

Pope Francis greets people during his inauguration on 19 March 2013. (Photo: Getty Images)

Pope Francis, the son of Italian migrants, appeared on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica five years ago to be introduced as the first Latin American pontiff. Below, World Watch Monitor looks at a few of the highlights of his tenure so far, and his impact on freedom of religion . . . Read More

‘80% of religious discrimination targets Christians’

December 7, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country Bishop Angaelos, Copts, Human rights, Middle East, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Patriarch Kirill, Pope Francis, Religious freedom

Father Poulos looking up to the ceiling in this house that still has a lot of destruction and needs thorough repairs

Christians are the victims in 80 per cent of acts of religious discrimination, despite only accounting for 30 per cent of the global population, a conference in Washington heard on Tuesday (5 December). The statistics, from the International Society for Human Rights, were presented at the 3rd International Conference on Religious . . . Read More

Istanbul Patriarch ‘losing sleep’ over closed Orthodox seminary

May 16, 2017 Turkey Greek Orthodox, Halki Seminary, Istanbul, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Istanbul’s Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew II admitted last week that he is “losing sleep” over the long-delayed opening of the Holy Theological School of Halki. The historic seminary is located on an island hilltop, an hour’s ferry ride from Istanbul. One of the most prestigious seminaries in Eastern Orthodoxy, the Halki . . . Read More

Faked ‘news’ targets Turkey’s Patriarch

September 7, 2016 Turkey Coup, Fethullah Gülen, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Turkey

Turkey’s national media published a spate of fabricated reports in late August, in backing the 15 July coup attempt against the Turkish government. The strongly pro-government Aksam newspaper first broke the alleged “news” in a front-page article on 30 Aug., headlined “Patriarchate-CIA Gulen Alliance.” The story quoted an article posted . . . Read More

Istanbul Patriarch deplores ethnic tensions

September 11, 2015 Turkey Greek Orthodox, Istanbul, Kurds, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Turkey

As deadly violence and hate speech spiralled in Turkey this week between Turkish nationalists and its minority Kurdish community, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I has urged the nation to learn from its past ethnic tensions. “How can one part of society look at another part of society with so much . . . Read More

Pope Francis addresses plight of Christians in Turkish visit

December 1, 2014 Turkey Ankara, Greek Orthodox, Islamic State, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Pope Francis, Syria

Turkey’s tiny Christian population was grateful for Pope Francis’s Nov. 28-30 visit to their country, during which he called for an end to all forms of violent fundamentalism in the war-torn Middle East. In a Nov. 30 joint statement with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual head of the Eastern Orthodox . . . Read More

Promised legal reforms disappoint Turkey’s religious minorities

October 3, 2013 Turkey Greek Orthodox, Halki Seminary, Kurds, Mor Gabriel Monastery, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

An empty classroom in the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary near Istanbul, closed by the Turkish government since 1971.World Watch Monitor The Turkish government’s long-awaited “democratisation package” of reform laws announced this week has met with considerable disappointment among Turkey’s minority religious communities. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed on . . . Read More

Church head in unprecedented meeting with Turkish MPs

February 27, 2012 Turkey Ankara, Greek Orthodox, Halki Seminary, Patriarch Bartholomew I, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

In an unprecedented meeting, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Turkey last week expressed his concerns and hopes for the country’s Christian minority to members of the Turkish Parliament. The visit took place in Ankara after Speaker of the Parliament Cemil Cicek invited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to . . . Read More

Catching Our Eye