EKD Press Releases
EKD Council Chair Visits Istanbul
Hope for rapid implementation of restitution decree
December 4, 2011
Praeses Nikolaus Schneider, Chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), has appealed to the Turkish government to implement last summer's restitution decree as fast as possible. It provides for returning expropriated possessions to Christian and Jewish communities in Turkey. "The titles for church buildings and properties are still legally insecure, including for our German-speaking Protestant congregation in Istanbul," declared Schneider on 4 December during a visit to Istanbul. There had been a number of positive developments, he stated - i.e. pleasing and hopeful signals from representatives of different denominations in Turkey. "I hope that this path of religious freedom and constructive cooperation will continue for the good of Turkish society."
Schneider was visiting the Bosporus to mark the 150th anniversary of the Protestant Church of the Cross (Kreuzkirche) on 3 and 4 December. In his greeting at the anniversary celebration on Sunday, Schneider praised the local congregation's cultural mediation and commitment to refugees and needy people. The territory of the present Turkey was mentioned in the Bible as the place of the earliest Christian communities, he recalled, and had witnessed important events in the history of Christianity. "We stand here on Christian roots, so to speak. Christian faith and the Christian church do not only want to belong to ancient history; they also want to be an important and enriching part of the present of this country and this city - although unquestionably under very different conditions."
The Church of the Cross offered a spiritual home to native speakers of German, he observed. "Seeking the welfare of a strange city, as required by the Prophet Jeremiah, without wanting to deny your own roots and identity, has been a challenge for the German-speaking Protestant congregation in Istanbul for over 160 years." The Church of the Cross was consecrated 150 years ago. "We hope that in the coming decades the city of Istanbul and the German-speaking Protestant congregation in this city will flourish. Your work will certainly not always be easy or go unchallenged. On behalf of the Evangelical Church in Germany, I wish God's blessing upon all your activities."
The day before, on Saturday, 3 December, the Council Chair had met for talks with the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Afterwards Schneider praised the open, trusting atmosphere of the meeting. He underlined the Patriarch's great commitment to caring for creation, having read "with great approval" his greeting to the delegates at the UN World climate conference in Durban. "Christians all over the world hope and pray that the government representatives will take enlightened and reasonable decisions on the future of our planet," added Schneider.
Furthermore, Schneider assured the Patriarch that he would follow developments regarding the Orthodox seminary on Chalki Peninsula with great attention. Despite various promises to reopen it, the seminary was still closed. Schneider expressed particular pleasure at the Patriarch's great interest in the 2017 quincentenary of the Reformation anniversary. "Back in Luther's time the Patriarchate of Constantinople sent scholars to Wittenberg to discuss the ideas of the Reformers. It will be fascinating to study how we can make the most of this legacy in our time and in dealing with our present-day challenges."
Istanbul/Hanover, 4 December 2011
Silke Römhild, EKD Press Office