Ecumenical Patriarch under investigation by Turkish prosecutors
August 24, 2007 (New Anatolian wire services)--Barholomeos II [sic], the patriarch [sic] of the Greek Orthodox Church in Turkey, has been called on to give a statement to prosecutors on comments he made declaring that the patriarchy had ecumenical status.
Bujidar Cipof, a former member of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church's board of directors in Turkey, lodged a complaint with the office of the prosecutor in the Istanbul district of Beyoglu, claiming that Barholomeos II [sic] had breached article 219 of the Turkish Criminal Code.
The article covers the crime of 'abusing religious services'.
The complaint was based on comments made by the patriarch [sic] recently, who said that "the patriarchy has been ecumenical since the 6th century. The entire world knows this historical title".
Turkey does not accept that the Greek Orthodox patriarch [sic] has ecumenical status, only that he is the head of the church in Turkey.
Under article 219, if found guilty, Barholomeos [sic] could be fined and/or be imprisoned for a term of between one month and one year."
[edd: Use of the term "sic" by Turkish wire services has been preserved in this press release as issued.]
