European Parliament urges Turkey to call Phanar "Ecumenical Patriarchate"
MEPs demand that Turkish authorities recognize the legal status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution urging Turkey to recognize the legal status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to respect the public use of the title "Ecumenical Patriarch." The document was approved on May 7, 2025, with 367 votes in favor, 74 against, and 188 abstentions, as reported by Amna.
MEPs insist that Turkish authorities comply with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and adhere to all relevant rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Despite the historic presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the former capital of the Byzantine Empire, Turkish authorities do not officially recognize the title "Ecumenical Patriarch," instead using terms like "Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Phanar" or "Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople."
Turkish official Devlet Bahçeli, chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, recently stated: "Within the borders of the Republic of Turkey, there is no such city as Constantinople; the title 'ecumenical' has no legitimacy. No one has the power to turn Istanbul into a second Vatican."
The European Parliament also reaffirmed its demand for Turkey to "fully respect and protect the outstanding universal value" of the Hagia Sophia and the Chora Museum, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites and were converted from museums into mosques in recent years.
The resolution calls on Turkey to allow the reopening of the Halki Theological School on the island of Heybeliada, which was closed by Turkish authorities in 1971, making it impossible to train clergy for the Ecumenical Patriarchate within Turkish territory.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Turkish politician accused the head of Phanar of violating the Constitution.
