Abstract:

The Fener Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul is one of the most important churches of Orthodoxy. The supreme ecclesiastical leader at the head of the Patriarchate is known as the Archbishop of the Istanbul Church and the Fener Patriarch. Patriarch elections were held according to the church tradition established in the By-zantine period. The Church believed that the election of the Patriarch was ac-complished by divine grace, through the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. According to the Christian faith, this was done through the bishops who attended the Holy Synod. In the Byzantine, Ottoman and Republican periods, three main actors that influenced the patriarch elections came to the fore. These; The Patriarch, Holy Synod and political powers. However, depending on each period’s specific social, economic, political and international conditions, other side actors were also involved in the elections. In this study, we will try to examine all these factors by chronology, especially in the period of the Republic of Turkey.

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