Phanar Archon: In terms of Turkish law, our patriarchate does not exist

Rocky Sisson. Photo: Screenshot from Facebook video

Rocky Sisson, an Archon of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and a parishioner and member of the Council of the Greek Archdiocese in America, stated that in terms of Turkish law, the patriarchate (let alone the Ecumenical Patriarchate) simply does not exist. He made this statement during his speech at a conference organized by the OSCE in Warsaw, according to the Public Orthodoxy website.

"One of the chief destructive policies of the Turkish government is the fact that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has no legal identity or bona fide legal personality in Turkey. This means that in terms of Turkish law, it does not exist," said the Archon.

According to Rocky Sisson, a non-existent organization cannot own anything – "not even its churches or the sacred icons, including world-historical works of art, and holy relics that are housed in them."

Sisson recalled that in 1971, Turkish authorities forcibly closed the Theological School of Halki, which served as the main source of training new clergy for Phanar. Furthermore, the authorities also require the patriarch to be a Turkish citizen. As the Archon claims, no new clergymen can be trained in Turkey, and many who are sent abroad for training never return.

In his opinion, the goal of the Turkish government is clear: "it is trying to asphyxiate the Ecumenical Patriarchate and completely annihilate the Hellenic community in Asia Minor, which has been present there for millennia."

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Phanar head praised the governments of Turkey and Greece for their "happy rapprochement".

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