BARTHOLOMEW I AT EU

"Europe must include Turkey in its integration plan"; at the same time, "Turkey must promote dialogue and tolerance in the country" and the protection of the fundamental rights, "such as religious freedoms". Bartholomew I, the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who spoke today at the European Parliament in Brussels, said he is in favour of Ankara's "full accession" to the EU. In his speech, broken by the applauses of the MEPs at the passage about the relations between Turkey and the EU, Bartholomew spoke of the "need of dialogue between different faiths and cultures to build a world of peace"; he said he is "against any form of war and any form of violence and intolerance"; he lingered on environmental issues, describing the initiatives the Orthodox Church is taking on this front. "Turkey is a bridge-country between Europe and Asia, between the East and the West, between Christianity ad Islam - Bartholomew explained to SIR -. It is a lay state that, however, sometimes fails to fulfil this trait. In addition, there's still a wide range of problems to be solved to achieve a full democracy, the respect of human rights and minorities". "Turkey is a country that belongs to the big European family", Bartholomew I explained to SIR, after his speech at the European Parliament in Brussels. "We are interested in this as citizens as well as a religious minority". Bartholomew claimed full respect of the freedom of cult, the return of the assets taken away by Ankara from the Orthodox Church, the equality of all citizens. "For accession to the European Union, some set criteria and European values must be respected. In Turkey, we can see efforts being made in this direction, to modernise the country", to boost economy, to "fully implement the EU regulations in the national law". So, do you think the process to bring Turkey closer to the EU can help the modernisation of Turkey? "I am sure it can - states the ecumenical patriarch to SIR -. In addition, I think the fact we are a country with a very large Islamic majority should not be a problem, because the European Union sets itself as a reality that respects cultural and religious diversity". "Europe cannot rule anyone out", adds Bartholomew.
In introducing the speaker, the president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering recalled that “the presence of His Holiness Bartholomew in this Parliament is one of the initiatives for the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue”. The European Parliament has already hosted several guests, including the Great Mufti of Damascus; a Jewish leader will come in November. The invitation has also been sent out to the Pope and the Dalai Lama. Poettering stated that “the EU is a community of values, and one of its most outstanding values is the freedom to profess one’s own religion”. Then, he recalled that “cohabitation between the great religions has not always been peaceful” in the world; on the other hand, “Europe needs the contribution of the faiths and the believers” to grow in peace. Again, Poettering commented that “the presence of countries with an Orthodox majority is growing in Europe”, and he mentioned Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus. And Bartholomew actually lingered on Cyprus, wishing “political negotiations may lead to overcoming the divisions” that exist on the island between the Greek Cypriot community and the Turkish Cypriot community, “divisions that affect the Orthodox community as well”.

News by SIR