Papa Eftim I
Encyclopedia
Papa Eftim I was the first Turkish Orthodox Patriarch of the Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate, an unrecognised Orthodox Christian denomination, that he founded. Eftim I had strong influences from Turkish nationalist ideology. He ruled as Patriarch from 1923 until 1962, when he resigned due to ill health. Keeping the title of honorary patriarch, he ordained his younger son as patriarch assuming the name Papa Eftim II
.
(today Akdağmadeni) of Bozok sanjak
in 1884. He worked in a factory. He was ordained as a priest in 1915 and was given the name Eftim . In the house of his neighbor Çerkes Ethem
, he met Mustafa Kemal
and became a supporter of his ideas. He took part in 23 April 1920 in the opening of the Turkish Parliament as representative of the Turkish Orthodox Community of All Anatolia (Umum Anadolu Türk Ortodoksları Cemaatleri).
In 1922 the Autocephalous Orthodox Patriarchate of Anatolia was founded in Kayseri
by Father Pavlos Karahisarithis a supporter of the General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox
. in opposition to Patriarch Meletius IV
. During the meeting in a convent in Kayseri, decision was taken to establish a Turkish Christian church independent of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Karahisarithis moved to Istanbul in 1923. The same year, his supporters, with his tacit support assaulted Patriarch Meletius IV on 1 June 1923. On 2 October 1923 Papa Eftim besieged the Holy Synod and appointed his own Synod. When Eftim invaded the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate he proclaimed himself "the general representative of all the Orthodox communities" (Bütün Ortodoks Ceemaatleri Vekil Umumisi).
With a new Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII
elected on 6 December 1923 after the abdication of Meletius IV, there was another occupation by Papa Eftim I and his followers, when he besieged the Patriarchate for the second time. This time around, they were evicted by the Turkish police.
in Turkish
, and quickly won support from the new Turkish Republic formed after the fall of the Ottoman Empire
. He claimed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was ethnically-centered and favored the Greek population. Being excommunicated for claiming to be a bishop while still having a wife (married bishops are not allowed in Orthodoxy) Karahisarithis, who later changed his name into Zeki Erenerol, called a Turkish ecclesial congress, which elected him Patriarch in 1924.
On 6 June 1924, in a conference in the Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana) in Galata, it was decided to transfer the headquarters of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate from Kayseri to Istanbul. In the same session it was also decided that the Church of Virgin Mary would become the Center of the new Patriarchate of the Turkish Orthodox Church.
Karahisarithis and his family members were exempted from the population exchange
as per a decision of the Turkish government, although there was not the exemption for either Karahisarithis' followers or the wider Karamanlides
communities of Turkish speaking Christian that was hoped for. Most of the ethnic Turkish speaking Orthodox population remained affiliated with the Greek Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
.
After the death of Mustafa Kemal, Papa Eftim lost some of his prestige in the eyes of the Turkish state. In 1953 he organized a demonstration march against the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I
and he continued to make statements against the Greek Patriarchate.
He died in 1968 and was refused a burial in the Greek Orthodox cemetery of Sisli
due to his excommunication, and the Turkish government had to intervene to secure his burial.
Papa Eftim II
Papa Eftim II was the elder son of Papa Eftim I, the founder of the Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate, an unrecognised Orthodox Christian denomination, with strong influences from Turkish nationalist ideology.Karahisarithis was a doctor of medicine by profession...
.
Earlier years
Karahisarithis was born in Maden qadaaQadaa
Kaza or caza , meaning "jurisdiction" and often translated "district," is a term for a second-level administrative division in Iraq and Lebanon and for a third-level administrative division in Jordan and the former Ottoman Empire....
(today Akdağmadeni) of Bozok sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
in 1884. He worked in a factory. He was ordained as a priest in 1915 and was given the name Eftim . In the house of his neighbor Çerkes Ethem
Çerkes Ethem
Çerkes Ethem was a Turkish militia leader of Circassian origin who initially gained fame for fighting against the Allied powers invading Anatolia in the aftermath of the World War I and afterwards during the Turkish War of Independence....
, he met Mustafa Kemal
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
and became a supporter of his ideas. He took part in 23 April 1920 in the opening of the Turkish Parliament as representative of the Turkish Orthodox Community of All Anatolia (Umum Anadolu Türk Ortodoksları Cemaatleri).
In 1922 the Autocephalous Orthodox Patriarchate of Anatolia was founded in Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...
by Father Pavlos Karahisarithis a supporter of the General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox
General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox
The General Congregation of the Anatolian Turkish Orthodox was a pro-Turkish nationalist Orthodox Christian group set up in 1922 and mainly active in the Turkish-speaking, Orthodox Christian Karamanlides population of central Anatolia...
. in opposition to Patriarch Meletius IV
Patriarch Meletius IV of Constantinople
Meletius IV was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1921 to 1923. He also served as Greek Patriarch of Alexandria under the episcopal name Meletius II from 1926 to 1935...
. During the meeting in a convent in Kayseri, decision was taken to establish a Turkish Christian church independent of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Karahisarithis moved to Istanbul in 1923. The same year, his supporters, with his tacit support assaulted Patriarch Meletius IV on 1 June 1923. On 2 October 1923 Papa Eftim besieged the Holy Synod and appointed his own Synod. When Eftim invaded the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate he proclaimed himself "the general representative of all the Orthodox communities" (Bütün Ortodoks Ceemaatleri Vekil Umumisi).
With a new Ecumenical Patriarch Gregory VII
Patriarch Gregory VII of Constantinople
Gregory VII was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1923 until 1924.He imported the New Style Calendar to the Church of Constantinople. He died suddenly of a massive heart attack in 1924.-External links:*...
elected on 6 December 1923 after the abdication of Meletius IV, there was another occupation by Papa Eftim I and his followers, when he besieged the Patriarchate for the second time. This time around, they were evicted by the Turkish police.
Establishment of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate
In 1924, Karahisarithis started to conduct the liturgyLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, and quickly won support from the new Turkish Republic formed after the fall of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. He claimed that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was ethnically-centered and favored the Greek population. Being excommunicated for claiming to be a bishop while still having a wife (married bishops are not allowed in Orthodoxy) Karahisarithis, who later changed his name into Zeki Erenerol, called a Turkish ecclesial congress, which elected him Patriarch in 1924.
On 6 June 1924, in a conference in the Church of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana) in Galata, it was decided to transfer the headquarters of the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate from Kayseri to Istanbul. In the same session it was also decided that the Church of Virgin Mary would become the Center of the new Patriarchate of the Turkish Orthodox Church.
Karahisarithis and his family members were exempted from the population exchange
Population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was based upon religious identity, and involved the Greek Orthodox citizens of Turkey and the Muslim citizens of Greece...
as per a decision of the Turkish government, although there was not the exemption for either Karahisarithis' followers or the wider Karamanlides
Karamanlides
The Karamanlides , or simply Karamanlis, are a Greek Orthodox, Turkish-speaking people native to the Karaman and Cappadocia regions of Anatolia...
communities of Turkish speaking Christian that was hoped for. Most of the ethnic Turkish speaking Orthodox population remained affiliated with the Greek Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople , part of the wider Orthodox Church, is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches within the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
.
After the death of Mustafa Kemal, Papa Eftim lost some of his prestige in the eyes of the Turkish state. In 1953 he organized a demonstration march against the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I
Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I , born Aristocles Spyrou was the 268th Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1948 to 1972.-Life:...
and he continued to make statements against the Greek Patriarchate.
Resignation and death
He resigned in 1962 due to ill health and his elder son Turgut Erenerol (formerly Yiorghos Karahisarithis) became Papa Eftim II, and held this post until his death in 1991. The office was then passed to his younger son Selçuk Erenerol, who took the title Papa Eftim III until 2002. The current holder of the title is Paşa Ümit Erenerol, his grandson (son of Selçuk Erenerol) who has held the title Papa Eftim IV since 2002.He died in 1968 and was refused a burial in the Greek Orthodox cemetery of Sisli
Sisli
Şişli is one of 39 districts of Istanbul, Turkey. Located on the European side of the city, it is bordered by Beşiktaş to the east, Sarıyer to the north, Eyüp and Kağıthane to the west, and Beyoğlu to the south...
due to his excommunication, and the Turkish government had to intervene to secure his burial.