| Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate Bağımsız Türk Ortodoks Patrikhanesi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Eastern Orthodox |
| Classification | Independent Eastern Orthodox |
| Primate | Papa Eftim IV |
| Region | Turkey |
| Language | Turkish |
| Liturgy | Byzantine Rite |
| Headquarters | Meryem Ana Church,Istanbul |
| Territory | Turkey,United States |
| Founder | Papa Eftim I |
| Origin | 1922 inKayseri |
| Independence | 1924 |
| Recognition | Unrecognized byother Eastern Orthodox churches |
| Separated from | Greek Orthodox Church (1922) |
TheAutocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate (Turkish:Bağımsız Türk Ortodoks Patrikhanesi), also referred to as theTurkish Orthodox Church (Turkish:Türk Ortodoks Kilisesi), is anunrecognizedautocephalousEastern Orthodox organisation based inTurkey, descending from Turkish-speaking Eastern Orthodox Christians. It was founded inKayseri byPavlos Karahisarithis, who became thepatriarch and took the name of Papa Eftim I, in 1922.[1]
The start of the Patriarchate can be traced to theGreco-Turkish War (1919–1922). In 1922 a pro-TurkishEastern Orthodox group, theGeneral Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox (Turkish:Umum Anadolu Türk Ortodoksları Cemaatleri), was set up with the support from the Orthodox bishop ofHavza, as well as a number of other congregations[2] representing a genuine movement among theTurkish-speaking, Eastern Orthodox Christian population ofAnatolia[1] who wished to remain both Eastern Orthodox and Turkish.[3] There were calls to establish a newPatriarchate with Turkish as the preferred language ofChristian worship.[4]
On 15 September 1922 the Autocephalous Orthodox Patriarchate of Anatolia was founded inKayseri byPavlos Karahisarithis, a supporter of the General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox.[1]
The same year, his supporters, with his tacit support, assaultedPatriarch Meletius IV of Constantinople on 1 June 1923.[5]
With a new Ecumenical PatriarchGregory VII elected on 6 December 1923 after the abdication of Meletius IV, there was another occupation by Papa Eftim I and his followers, when he besieged the Patriarchate for the second time. This time around, they were evicted by theTurkish police.[6]
In 1924, Karahisarithis started to conduct theChristian liturgy inTurkish, and quickly won support from the newTurkish Republic formed after thedefeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire (1908–1922).[7] The church remains a staunch supporter of the Republic system of Turkey, and the church's spokeswoman vowed to defend it against any threats.[8]
On 6 June 1924, in a conference in the Church of theVirgin Mary (Meryem Ana in Turkish) inGalata, it was decided to transfer the headquarters of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate from Kayseri toIstanbul. In the same session it was also decided that the Church of Virgin Mary would become the headquarter of the new Patriarchate of the Turkish Orthodox Church.[1]
Karahisarithis and his family members were exempted from thepopulation exchange as per a decision of the Turkish government.[9]
There have been a number of attempts from the 1930s into the 21st century to tie the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate with the ethnically Turkic, Greek OrthodoxGagauz minority inBessarabia.[10]
A similar project was put into motion in October 2018, when the Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan visited theRepublic of Moldova and toured theAutonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia.[11]
On 22 January 2008,Sevgi Erenerol [tr], granddaughter of the Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate's founderPapa Eftim I, daughter ofPapa Eftim III, and sister of the current primatePapa Eftim IV, was arrested for alleged links with a Turkish nationalist underground organization namedErgenekon. At the time of her arrest, she was the spokeswoman for the Patriarchate. It was also alleged that the Patriarchate served as headquarters for theErgenekon network. Sevgi Erenerol was well known for hermilitancy in Turkish nationalist activities, as well as for her antagonism to the Ecumenical Greek Patriarchate and theArmenian Apostolic Church. During the time ofAlparslan Türkeş, she had run as aparliamentary candidate for theNationalist Movement Party (MHP), political arm of the Turkishfar-right andultra-nationalistGrey Wolves paramilitary organization.[12] On August 5, 2013, Sevgi Erenerol was found guilty of involvement in the so-called "Ergenekon conspiracy" and sentenced tolife imprisonment.[13][14] After the retrial she was found not guilty and released on 12 March 2014.[15]
Today, three churches are owned by Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate and all of them are located in Istanbul.
In 1924, Eftim I acquired theHristos Church illegally from the owner, the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Hristos Church was returned to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1947, after a legal case, only to be confiscated and bulldozed later on for road enlargement. Compensation for the bulldozed church was paid however to the Erenerol family foundation instead of the Eastern Orthodox community.[11]
TheTurkish Orthodox Church in the United States was anOld Catholic group of 20 predominantlyAfrican American churches in the United States loosely linked to the Patriarchate. It formed in 1966 under Christopher M. Cragg, anAfrican American physician. He was consecrated byPapa Eftim II in 1966 with the name of Civet Kristof. It continued to exist throughout the 1970s, but fell away in the early 1980s when Cragg opened a clinic in Chicago.[19]
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