Ed Whitfield: “I might also say that in order to ensure the future viability of the Orthodox Church, the appointment of non-Turkish…”

“I might also say that in order to ensure the future viability of the Orthodox Church, the appointment of non-Turkish citizen metropolitans to the Patriarchate's Holy Synod have been explicitly permitted in Turkey since 2004. Furthermore, in 2010, Turkey offered citizenship to metropolitans of foreign nationality who chose to apply. Additionally, issues regarding the residence permits of foreign clergy have been resolved. I might also point out that I had mentioned earlier that the directorate of religious affairs in Turkey had made available one of the religious scholars in Turkey to conduct a seminar at Wesley Theological Seminary. I would also mention to the body that the South Korean Methodist Church has been evangelizing in parts of Turkey, and they have a church in Antakya, which is one of the early Christian church sites that is located in Turkey, one of many, and they have been practicing their religion in Antakya. And so I would say that I don't want people to leave here with the impression that Turkey is deliberately out there trying to deny religious freedom, because that simply is not the case. Now, maybe they have a way to go; but as I've said, there is certainly nothing in this resolution that refers to anything about a genocide. This is simply talking about religious freedom. And I wanted to simply point out the steps that Turkey has been taking and continues to take.…”