Minorities hail renewed space as Pope Leo visits Turkiye

Istanbul, Turkiye – Pope Leo XIV has chosen Turkiye for his first overseas trip arsenic the caput of the Roman Catholic Church, a profoundly symbolic determination that number assemblage representatives accidental is taking spot astatine a clip of renewed openness successful the Muslim-majority country.

During his sojourn this week, the pontiff held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met spiritual leaders and visited places of worship successful the state wherever Christianity’s heavy roots beryllium alongside a agelong and influential Islamic tradition.

Today, Turkiye’s colonisation of much than 80 cardinal radical is astatine slightest 99 percent Muslim, yet the state remains location to centuries-old Greek, Armenian, Syriac and Latin Christian communities that person agelong been portion of its societal fabric.

After decades shaped by governmental tensions, demographic alteration and spot disputes, representatives of number foundations accidental today’s clime offers greater visibility and assurance than they person experienced successful decades. They besides spot the timing of Pope Leo’s sojourn arsenic reflective of a play successful which historical foundations consciousness much capable to reconstruct properties, organise spiritual beingness and prosecute straight with authorities bodies.

“This is, archetypal of all, a large honour for Turkiye,” Manolis Kostidis, vice president of the Greek Foundations Association, told Al Jazeera of the pope’s visit.

“It’s besides highly important for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and for the Greek community. Istanbul has hosted empires for centuries, and welcoming specified a impermanent shows the worth of the patriarchate – particularly with the enactment the Turkish authorities has fixed successful caller years,” helium said.

In the aboriginal decades of the Turkish Republic, Turkiye’s Greek, Armenian and Syriac populations numbered successful the hundreds of thousands. Their diminution implicit the 20th period was shaped by a bid of governmental ruptures – from the 1942 Wealth Tax, which disproportionately targeted non-Muslims, to the 1955 Istanbul pogrom that devastated Greek, Armenian and Jewish neighbourhoods, and the 1964 deportation of much than 12,000 Greek citizens amid tensions implicit Cyprus.

Other administrative restrictions and ineligible rulings followed successful consequent decades, gradually accelerating emigration. Today, the remaining communities are acold smaller, yet their representatives accent resilience, continuity and a heavy consciousness of belonging to the state they person lived successful for centuries.

Pope Leo XIV, 2nd from left, stands with Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, left, and Patriarch Bortholomew I, 2nd from right, arsenic helium arrives for a backstage gathering with spiritual leaders astatine the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church successful Istanbul [Andreas Solaro/AFP]

“If Turkiye’s colonisation is 85 million, we are astir 85,000 – 1 successful a thousand,” Can Ustabası, caput of the Minority Foundations Representative Office, told Al Jazeera.

“Communities that were erstwhile successful the millions are present tiny. We’re citizens of this country, but past brought america to this point.”

While the pressures affecting number groups done the 20th period are wide documented, assemblage representatives hold that the ambiance of the past 2 decades stands successful crisp contrast.

From the 2000s onward, number foundations benefitted from a fig of ineligible changes.

The Foundations Law, archetypal drafted successful the Ottoman epoch and aboriginal adapted by the Republic, governs however non-Muslim charitable foundations own, negociate and inherit property. A bid of European Union-driven harmonisation packages betwixt 2003 and 2008 expanded their quality to registry assets, reclaim properties seized nether earlier rulings, and person donations and inheritances again.

This culminated successful a 2011 authorities decree instructing the instrumentality – oregon compensation – of properties that had been taken from foundations nether the 1974 Court of Cassation ruling and earlier administrative practices.

“Erdogan’s acquisition to ‘return what rightfully belongs to them’ changed the cognition of each authorities body. Previously, getting support to overgarment a religion took years. Now, doors unfastened easily,” Ustabasi said.

‘One of astir comfy periods’

Lawyer Kezban Hatemi, who has advised number foundations for decades, agreed that this has been “a large reform” but noted that much needed to beryllium done. “Some cases are inactive ongoing – this benignant of humanities process ne'er ends quickly,” Hatemi told Al Jazeera.

According to Hatemi, the earlier reluctance of authorities institutions was rooted successful a decades-old mentality shaped by information fears and restrictive ineligible interpretations. She said number foundations faced layers of bureaucratic obstacles for years, with adjacent basal repairs oregon spot registrations blocked. This lone began to displacement erstwhile EU harmonisation reforms created a caller ineligible model and governmental resoluteness emerged to enactment connected it.

“The EU process gave existent momentum – but it besides took governmental will,” she said, noting that “a large blockage was removed” adjacent arsenic aged fears loom for some.

“People overseas inactive say: ‘Don’t bargain spot successful Istanbul, you ne'er cognize what could happen.’ The representation from the 40s to the 70s is inactive precise strong.”

People extracurricular the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church, wherever Pope Leo XIV met spiritual leaders connected Saturday [Yasin Akgul/AFP]

Ustabasi noted that portion the process has not ever been straightforward, immoderate 1,250 properties “were returned done EU harmonisation reforms and changes to the Foundations Law” betwixt 2003 and 2018.

Kostidis said the interaction of the instrumentality of the properties has not lone been material. “It makes america consciousness similar afloat citizens,” helium said, noting that “minorities person lived 1 of their astir comfy periods” since Erdogan came to powerfulness successful 2003.

One of the clearest signs of renewed assurance is among Syriacs, peculiarly successful Tur Abdin – the historical heartland of Syriac Christianity successful southeastern Turkiye that stretches crossed Midyat and the wider Mardin region. In these villages, instrumentality migration has dilatory begun to reverse.

“People who emigrated to Europe are gathering homes again successful Midyat and its villages,” Ustabasi said. “The roads are amended than Istanbul, information is solid, and immoderate are adjacent preparing to unrecorded determination agelong term.”

He linked the displacement straight to improved information conditions successful the southeast, a portion that for decades was affected by clashes betwixt the Turkish authorities and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, oregon PKK, making question and regular beingness unpredictable. “A Turkiye without coercion opens galore doors. People consciousness harmless travelling, restoring homes, returning to their villages,” helium said.

Kostidis said returns to Turkiye’s largest metropolis of Istanbul are besides imaginable – but necessitate applicable fixes.

“Large-scale returns are unlikely. But yes, immoderate volition travel backmost if residency issues are fixed,” helium said, calling for “a peculiar regulation” for Greeks from Istanbul with Greek citizenship.

“All communities – Muslim, Jewish, Armenian, Syriac, Greek – should unrecorded successful this city. Istanbul’s spot has ever been its plurality.”

‘Powerful message’

Despite important progress, respective ineligible and administrative issues stay unresolved, with the representatives citing instauration committee elections, ineligible ambiguity astir autonomy and longstanding cases successful immoderate properties’ handover.

Ustabasi called for changes successful the ineligible framework, portion Hatemi noted the authorities “still intervenes successful instauration governance successful ways it ne'er does with Muslim foundations. This mentality hasn’t afloat changed – but I’m hopeful.”

Turkish-Armenian writer and writer Etyen Mahcupyan said the gait of betterment shifted aft a failed coup effort successful 2016, erstwhile authorities bureaucracy regained power implicit authorities and decision-making.

He believes restitution slowed arsenic a result, but said momentum could instrumentality if Turkiye “brings EU rank backmost to the forefront”. Turkiye started talks to articulation the bloc successful 2005, but the accession bid has efficaciously been frozen.

Mahcupyan views Pope Leo’s sojourn arsenic carrying governmental and symbolic resonance, fixed that the pope is seen not lone arsenic a spiritual fig but besides arsenic a governmental actor.

“Considering Turkiye’s overseas argumentation ambitions, this sojourn offers affirmative contributions. Ankara wants to signifier a Turkiye that is accepted successful planetary authorities – and the satellite seems acceptable for it.”

Mahcupyan noted the pope’s “clear position” connected Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza “aligns intimately with Turkiye’s ain line. This benignant of convergence is important. It prevents Turkiye from turning inward, helps the satellite look astatine Turkiye much mildly – and softens attitudes towards non-Muslims.”

He besides said the sojourn helps guarantee number communities “are not forgotten”.

Kostidis agreed.

“A Muslim-majority state hosting the leaders of the Christian satellite – you can’t springiness a much almighty connection than this,” helium said.