Bujidar Cipof, a former member of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s board of directors in Turkey, lodged a complaint with the office of the prosecutor in the Istanbul district of Beyoglu, claiming that Barholomeos II had breached article 219 of the Turkish Criminal Code.
The article covers the crime of ‘abusing religious services’.
The complaint was based on comments made by the patriarch recently, who said that “the patriarchy has been ecumenical since the 6th century. The entire world knows this historical title”.
Turkey does not accept that the Greek Orthodox patriarch has ecumenical status, only that he is the head of the church in Turkey.
Under article 219, if found guilty, Barholomeos could be fined and/or be imprisoned for a term of between one month and one year.
