Roman Catholicism in Turkey
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Church in Turkey is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
and curia
in Rome
. There are around 35,000 Catholics, constituting 0.05% of the population. The faithful follow the Latin, Byzantine
, Armenian
and Chaldean Rite. Most Latin Rite Catholics are Levantines of mainly Italian
or French
background, although a few are ethnic Turks (who are usually converts via marriage to Levantines or other non-Turkish Catholics). Byzantine, Armenian, and Chaldean rite Catholics are generally members of the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian minority groups respectively. Turkey's Catholics are concentrated in Istanbul
.
The Catholic community was shocked when Father Andrea Santoro
, an Italian missionary working in Turkey for 10 years, was shot twice at his church near the Black Sea. He had written a letter to the Pope asking him to visit Turkey. Pope Benedict XVI
visited Turkey in November 2006. Relations had been rocky since Pope Benedict XVI
had stated his opposition to Turkey joining the European Union
. The Council of Catholic Bishops met with the Turkish prime minister in 2004 to discuss restrictions and difficulties such as property issues. More recently, Bishop Luigi Padovese
, on June 6, 2010, the Vicar Apostolic of Turkey, was killed.
Turkey is notable for being the only country with territory in Europe, other than Estonia
, to have never had a Catholic bishop from its own dominant ethnic group
in recent centuries.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. There are around 35,000 Catholics, constituting 0.05% of the population. The faithful follow the Latin, Byzantine
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
, Armenian
Armenian Rite
The Armenian Rite is an independent liturgy. This rite is used by both the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches; it is also the rite of a significant number of Eastern Catholic Christians in the Republic of Georgia....
and Chaldean Rite. Most Latin Rite Catholics are Levantines of mainly Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
or French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
background, although a few are ethnic Turks (who are usually converts via marriage to Levantines or other non-Turkish Catholics). Byzantine, Armenian, and Chaldean rite Catholics are generally members of the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian minority groups respectively. Turkey's Catholics are concentrated in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
The Catholic community was shocked when Father Andrea Santoro
Andrea Santoro
Father Andrea Santoro was a Roman Catholic priest in Turkey, murdered in the Santa Maria Church in Trabzon where he served as a member of the Catholic Church's Fidei donum missionary program.On 5 September 2006 he was shot dead from behind while kneeling in prayer in the church...
, an Italian missionary working in Turkey for 10 years, was shot twice at his church near the Black Sea. He had written a letter to the Pope asking him to visit Turkey. Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
visited Turkey in November 2006. Relations had been rocky since Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
had stated his opposition to Turkey joining the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The Council of Catholic Bishops met with the Turkish prime minister in 2004 to discuss restrictions and difficulties such as property issues. More recently, Bishop Luigi Padovese
Luigi Padovese
Luigi Padovese was the titular bishop of Monteverde and the vicar apostolic of Anatolia in Turkey. He was murdered by his driver on June 3, 2010.-Biography:...
, on June 6, 2010, the Vicar Apostolic of Turkey, was killed.
Turkey is notable for being the only country with territory in Europe, other than Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, to have never had a Catholic bishop from its own dominant ethnic group
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
in recent centuries.
Structure
- Latin Rite:
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of IzmirRoman Catholic Archdiocese of IzmirThe Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of İzmir is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Turkey. It was erected by Pope Pius VII on March 18, 1818, without any suffragan sees that usually accompany a metropolitan archdiocese.The archdiocese's motherchurch and...
- seat in IzmirIzmirIzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
- Cathedral: St. John's Cathedral, IzmirSt. John's Cathedral, IzmirSt. John's Cathedral in Izmir is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Izmir....
- Jurisdiction: metropolitan archdiocese without suffragan dioceseSuffragan DioceseA suffragan diocese is a diocese in the Catholic Church that is overseen not only by its own diocesan bishop but also by a metropolitan bishop. The metropolitan is always an archbishop who governs his own archdiocese...
s
- seat in Izmir
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Izmir
-
- Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of AnatoliaRoman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of AnatoliaThe Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia is a Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate located in the city of İskenderun in Turkey.-History:* March 13, 1845: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Trabzon...
- seat in IskenderunIskenderunİskenderun is a city and urban district in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The current mayor is Yusuf Hamit Civelek .-Names:...
- Cathedral: Cathedral of the Annunciation, IskenderunCathedral of the Annunciation, İskenderunThe Cathedral of the Annunciation in İskenderun is the seat of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia....
- Co-Cathedral: St. Anthony's of Padua Co-Cathedral, Mersin
- Jurisdiction: Immediately Subject to the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
- seat in Iskenderun
- Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Anatolia
-
- Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul
- seat in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Cathedral: Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Istanbul, Basilica minor
- Basilica minor: St. Anthony of Padua Basilica, Istanbul, IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Jurisdiction: Immediately Subject to the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
- seat in Istanbul
- Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul
- Armenian riteArmenian RiteThe Armenian Rite is an independent liturgy. This rite is used by both the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches; it is also the rite of a significant number of Eastern Catholic Christians in the Republic of Georgia....
:- Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of CiliciaArmenian Catholic Patriarchate of CiliciaThe Patriarchate of Cilicia is the only patriarchate within the Armenian Catholic Church. The cathedral church, Soorp Kreekor yev Soorp Eghia, is situated in Beirut, Lebanon. The current Patriarch of Cilicia, thereby being the primate of the Armenian Catholic Church, is Patriarch Nersès Bédros...
- seat in BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
- Cathedral: St. Elie and St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Catholic Cathedral, Beirut, BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
- Jurisdiction: metropolitan archdiocese
- seat in Beirut
- Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of Cilicia
-
- Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Istanbul
- seat in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Cathedral: Holy Mother of God Armenian Cathedral Church, Istanbul
- Jurisdiction: Immediately Subject to the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
- seat in Istanbul
- Armenian Catholic Archdiocese of Istanbul
- Byzantine RiteByzantine RiteThe Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
:- Greek Byzantine Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul
- seat in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Cathedral:
- Jurisdiction: Immediately Subject to the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
- seat in Istanbul
- Greek Byzantine Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Istanbul
- Syrian Rite:
- Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Turkey
- seat in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
- Cathedral:
- Jurisdiction: Immediately Subject to the Syriac Catholic ChurchSyriac Catholic ChurchThe Syriac Catholic Church is a Christian church in the Levant having practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. They are one of the Eastern Catholic Churches following the Antiochene rite, the Syriac tradition of Antioch, along with the Maronites and Syro-Malankara Christians...
- seat in Istanbul
- Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Turkey
- Chaldean Rite:
- Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Diarbekir
- seat in BeyoğluBeyogluBeyoğlu is a district located on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city by the Golden Horn...
, IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and... - Cathedral:
- Jurisdiction: Immediately Subject to the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
- seat in Beyoğlu
- Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Diarbekir
External links
- The Catholic Church in Turkey by Giga-Catholic Information