A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 24 - Tuesday, June 15th, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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TURKEY: ORTHODOX PATRIARCH IN COURT ON CHARGES
(Reuters) -
Bartholomew, the patriarch of Constantinople and
spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox
Christians worldwide, appeared in an Istanbul
court on criminal charges that he illegally
dismissed a Bulgarian priest. He and 12 other
members of the church's governing body are accused
of "prohibiting basic religious activities,
worship or holding religious services." A state
prosecutor opened the case after complaints by
members of
Istanbul's
tiny Bulgarian Orthodox community, which numbers
about 300 people. The Anatolian news agency said
Bartholomew argued that he had authority over all
of Turkey's Orthodox Christians and that the
priest, Konstantin Kostof, "despite all of our
warnings," resisted including Bartholomew's name
in the liturgy, "which is required." The
Bulgarians who brought the case say Bartholomew
has no power over the Bulgarian Orthodox Church
because the church split from the Patriarchate of
Constantinople in 1840. |
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