Fener Greek Patriarchate On Trial

The plaintiff Konstantin Kostof pointed out that he was appointed as church reverend by the Bulgarian Church Executive Council and said, "A person within the Orthodox faith should be blessed to become a priest. I was blessed by the Fener Greek Patriarch. However, since the patriarchate did not appoint me to the post, they cannot dismiss me from the position."

The defendants’ lawyer Kezban Hatemi denied the accusations and stated, "The situation under consideration is like it is with (Turkey’s) Religious Affairs Department Head dismissing an Imam or a mufti from his position. A judicial lawsuit cannot be filed on that matter, so I demand the acquittal of the accused. In addition, we have a written document concerning the Bulgarian Religious Affairs Department Head’s dismissal of the plaintiff from his position."

To which, Bujidar Cipof responded, "We are Turkish citizens. Turkey is a secular country. Everybody is free to practice his own religion. Therefore, we are not bound by the edicts of the Bulgarian Religious Affairs Department."

It is claimed that the accused took all spiritual authority away from Bulgarian Church Priest Konstantin Kostof with the October 31st 2002 edict that he would not conduct any ritual in any church.

By doing so, they are in violation of article 175/1 of the Turkish Criminal Code, in which it is an offence to prohibit others from praying or conducting the rituals of any religion.

A prison sentence of a year and a half is requested for the 13 defendants. The trial was postponed to January 16, 2004 upon presiding judge’s demand for more information.

Cihan News Agency / Istanbul / TURKEY