This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 002177 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2015 
TAGS: PHUM TU AA OSCE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INTRODUCTORY CALL ON ECUMENICAL 
PATRIARCH 
 
Classified By: Consul General Deborah K. Jones, Reasons 1.4 (b,d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: During a cordial introductory call on 
December 20, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I outlined for 
the Ambassador the history of the Greek Orthodox Church in 
Turkey and underscored three major factors threatening it: 
the lack of a seminary for the training of priests; the lack 
of legal status (and consequent inability to own property); 
and the current inability to elect a non-Turkish national as 
successor to the Ecumenical Patriarch.  The Ambassador 
reaffirmed the USG's determination to continue to press for 
movement on these critical issues.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Bartholomew warmly welcomed the Ambassador, offering 
his hopes for a fruitful US-Turkish bilateral relationship 
and for US efforts here and in the region.  He also expressed 
thanks for longstanding U.S. support for the Greek Orthodox 
community in Turkey, as well as his appreciation for the 
recent official U.S. statement on Halki seminary.  Ambassador 
thanked Bartholomew for receiving him and emphasized the 
importance he attached to calling upon him during his first 
visit to Istanbul.  Religious freedom remains at the top of 
our agenda with Turkey, he said, and we continue to press the 
case that such freedom does not hurt Turkey but rather 
strengthens it. 
 
¶3. (C) Bartholomew said the Patriarchate,s future is related 
closely to Halki Seminary.  It needs to be able to train 
priests for the community.  He has pressed the government 
repeatedly without result.  He stressed that the seminary 
does not need to be at the university level; a high school or 
vocational charter is sufficient.  Such a charter was granted 
in 1951, but has since been disregarded by the authorities. 
The Patriarch observed that the President of Turkey's Higher 
Education Board has admitted that there are no legal 
obstacles to the school's reopening; what is missing is 
political will.  He added that while the Armenian Patriarch 
apparently was amenable to a recent government proposal to 
resolve the larger theological school issue, the conditions 
were unacceptable to the Greek community. 
 
¶4. (C) Turning to the decline of the Orthodox community in 
Turkey, which fell from 100,000 to 3,000 by the end of the 
20th century as a result of poor Greek-Turkish relations, 
Bartholomew emphasized the importance of relaxing the 
requirement that the Patriarch be a Turkish citizen.   He is 
already pushing on this issue.  He had taken the decision 
last year to include non-Turkish citizens in the church's 
Holy Synod for the first time in the history of the Turkish 
Republic.  It included representatives of all the Ecumenical 
Patriarch,s jurisdictions (Chicago, Toronto, Italy, Crete, 
Thessaloniki, Deodecannus).  While the local press had 
created some difficulties, the Government had not. 
Bartholomew added that he hopes to see a return to the system 
whereby a non-Turk can be elected Patriarch, with the ability 
to immediately take Turkish nationality/citizenship upon 
arrival in Turkey, as occurred in 1946 when Athenagorus, the 
Archbishop of Latin America, was elected Patriarch. 
 
¶5.  (C) Bartholomew also highlighted the Greek Orthodox 
Church,s property.  The Patriarchate was awaiting the new 
Foundation Law, which will soon be voted upon by the National 
Assembly.  The law is not favorable to the Greek community 
and contains a clause that facilitates the expropriation of 
unused or little used property, e.g. facilities where 
religious ceremonies have not been celebrated for a certain 
period of time.  Under already existing legislation, the GOT 
earlier had taken 18 churches, monasteries and an orphanage, 
none of which had been returned to the community. 
 
¶6. (C) The Patriarch outlined his longstanding efforts to 
promote interfaith dialog with Roman Catholic, Anglican, 
Lutheran and other denominations.  He noted confidentially 
that he expected the Pope to visit Istanbul for the Feast of 
St. Andrew in 2006 and invited the Ambassador to attend 
accompanying events.  He had hoped for the Pope to come to 
this year's feast, but GOT intervention had forced 
postponement.  Bartholomew said that the Archbishop of 
Canterbury invited him to conclude the first phase of an 
Anglican-Orthodox dialog and that a second phase will open in 
the summer of 2006.  He also reviewed his efforts to promote 
environmental awareness and conservation, and underscored the 
importance of having a properly trained clergy to continue 
these dialogs. 
 
¶7. (C) In response to the Ambassador's inquiry about security 
cooperation with the Turkish government, the Patriarch 
reviewed the attacks and demonstrations carried out by 
nationalists against the Patriarchate in recent years. 
Bartholomew said that the current government provides good 
security support, in contrast to the early 1990s, when 
demonstrators were allowed to penetrate within the 
Patriarchal compound.  He has had access to key ministers, 
including Prime Minister Erdogan and Interior Minister Aksu. 
Meetings with them and others have sometimes produced 
promises of action on Patriarchate issues, but nothing 
results.  Bartholomew expressed frustration with continued 
nationalist attacks on his institution, arguing that in 
addition to pursuing EU accession and associated reforms, 
there is a need to change the mentality of segments of the 
Turkish population. 
JONES