Vienna, Austria - The spiritual leader of Turkey's Orthodox Christians expressed confidence yesterday that Turkey will improve religious freedom for non-Muslims, who complain of persecution and discrimination.
Patriarch Bartolomeos I said in a speech at the papal nuncio, the Vatican's mission in Vienna, that the Turkish government and most political parties were showing "goodwill" in answering calls from the West for greater religious liberties.
"We are confident and do not give up hope that in the immediate future, ways will be found to solve the problems, which threaten our existence," said Bartolomeos, who is based in Istanbul.
Christians have frequently complained of discrimination and persecution in Turkey, most of whose 70 million people are Muslim. An estimated 65,000 are Armenian Orthodox Christians, 23,000 are Jews, 20,000 Roman Catholic and 3,500 Protestant, mostly converts from Islam. Around 2,000 are Greek Orthodox.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said on Tuesday after meeting with Bartolomeos that her country would step up pressure on Turkey to improve freedom of religion and enhance the protection of religious minorities.
Bartolomeos said on Wednesday that the Orthodox hierarchy "emphatically endorses and expects" Turkey's eventual membership in the European Union, adding that religious freedom should continue to be a precondition for EU entry.