Patriarch of Constantinople

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The Patriarch of Constantinople is the Ecumenical Patriarch, ranking as the "first among equals" in the Eastern Orthodox communion. In this capacity he is first in honor among all the Orthodox bishops, presides over any council of bishops in which he takes part and serves as primary spokesman for the communion, but has no jurisdiction over the other patriarchs or the other autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches.

In addition to being spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, he is the direct administrative superior of the (arch)dioceses serving some four million Ukrainian, Greek, Carpatho-Russian and Albanian Orthodox in the U.S., Canada, Central and South America, and Western Europe (where his flock consists mainly of the Greek, Slavic and other Balkan diaspora).

His titular position is Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, one of the sixteen autocephalous churches and one of the five patriarchal Christian centers comprising the ancient Pentarchy. In his role as head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, he additionally holds the title Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome. He should not be confused with the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople, an office that is now extinct. His official title is "His Most Divine All-Holiness the Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch".

1 Early history
2 Ottoman ethnarchy
3 Athos
4 Issues of religious freedom
5 Notes and references
6 See also
7 Sources and external links

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Early history

As Constantine the Great had made Byzantium "New Rome" in 330, it was thought appropriate that its bishop, once a suffragan of Heraclea, should become second only to the Bishop of Old Rome. Soon after the transfer of the Roman capital, the bishopric was elevated to an archbishopric.Template:Ref For many decades Roman popes opposed this ambition, not because anyone thought of disputing their first place, but because they were unwilling to change the old order of the hierarchy. In 381, however, the First Council of Constantinople declared that: "The Bishop of Constantinople shall have the primacy of honour after the Bishop of Rome, because it is New Rome" (can. iii).

Popes Damasus and Gregory the Great refused to confirm this canon, a very unusual and controversial step, as Ecumenical Councils were considered binding on all Christian churches. Nonetheless, the prestige of the office continued to grow under the patronage of the Byzantine emperor.

The Council of Chalcedon in 451 established Constantinople as a patriarchate with jurisdiction over Asia Minor, and Thrace, appellate jurisdiction over canon law decisions by the other patriarchs; and the second place in primacy after Rome (can. xxviii). Pope Leo I refused to admit this canon, claiming it was invalid since it was made in the absence of his legates, again a controversial position. In the 6th century, the official title of the bishop became "Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch". Template:Ref

The current Patriarch is Bartholomew I.

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Ottoman ethnarchy

When the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, the Patriarch at the time, Athanasius II, was killed along with the last ruling Byzantine Emperor, Constantine XI. The office of Patriarch was handed to Gennadius II Scholarius in 1454 by the conquering Islamic Ottoman ruler, Sultan Mehmed II, who wished to show his dynasty as direct heirs to the Byzantines, adopting the imperial title Kayser-i-Rûm "Caesar of [Constantinople, the second] Rome", one of many subsidiary titles. The Patriarch was designated ethnarch of the Christian millet, thus making him and the Church responsible for all Orthodox Christians under Ottoman rule, regardless of their nationality in the modern sense. This role was carried out by ethnic Greeks with mixed success.

In the 19th century, the rising tide of nationalism among the Balkan Christian nations led to the establishment of several autocephalous national churches, generally under autonomous Patriarchs or Archbishops, leaving the Ecumenical Patriarch only direct control over the Christians of Turkey and the archdioceses in America, Asia, Africa and Oceania where growing Greek and other migrant communities started to constitute a significant orthodox diaspora.

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Athos

The Ecumenical Patriarch is also officially the "Spiritual Leader" of the "Autonomous Monastic State of Ayion Oros", also styled "Athonian Republic" on Mount Athos, making him the Head of that Autonomous State, which itself is part of Greece under international law.

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Issues of religious freedom

The modern Turkish state still requires the Patriarch to be a Turkish citizen (though nearly all Orthodox now live outside the Turkish republic) but allows the Synod of Constantinople to elect him. Since the establishment of modern Turkey, therefore, the position of the Ecumenical Patriarch has been filled by ethnic Greeks, who must be Turkish citizens by birth.

Human rights groups, EU governments, and the U.S. government, have long protested against conditions placed by the government of Turkey on the Ecumenical Patriarch. For example, the Ecumenical status accorded him within Eastern Orthodoxy, and recognized by the Ottoman governments, has on occasion been a source of controversy within the Republic of Turkey, which under its laws regarding religious minorities officially recognizes him as only the "Patriarch of Fener" (Fener is the district in Istanbul where his headquarters are located). Expropriation of Church property and the closing of the Orthodox Theological School of Halki are also cited by human rights groups.

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