Democratic opening, the legal status of non-muslim religious communities and the Venice Commission

Date
2010
Authors
Özbudun, E.
Advisor
Instructor
Source Title
Insight Turkey: challenging ideas of Turkish politics and international affairs
Print ISSN
1302-177X
Electronic ISSN
Publisher
Siyaset Ekonomi ve Toplum Arastirmalari Vakfi
Volume
12
Issue
2
Pages
213 - 222
Language
English
Type
Article
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Abstract

This article deals with a recent opinion adopted by the Venice Commission at its meeting onMarch 12-13 concerning the legal status of non-Muslim religious communities in Turkey and the right of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul to use the title "ecumenical." On the first issue the Commission points out the difficulties that arise from the lack of legal personality for such communities, especially in matters related to access to courts and property ownership. The Commission urges Turkish authorities to attend to this problem by choosing from the many models of legal personality for religious groups practiced in European countries. On the second point, the Commission observes that the title ecumenical is a spiritual and ecclesiastical matter, and not a legal one. It concludes that unless Turkish authorities actively interfere with the use of such title by the Patriarchate, the simple refusal of the use of this title by Turkish authorities does not amount to a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Published Version (Please cite this version)