Jerusalem Patriarch visits Istanbul while ignoring the Phanar

on September 13, 2025, during the absence of the head of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem visited Istanbul, where he held a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the same time, the head of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem ignored the Phanar and did not visit the residence of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, leaving only a formal notification of Patriarch Bartholomew about his visit to Istanbul.

It is reported that the visit of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem to Istanbul took place at the initiative of the Turkish side. It was the President of Turkey who sent Patriarch Theophilos an appropriate invitation. The main topic of the meeting was the genocide in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s aggressive policy against Palestinians in the West Bank. During the talks, Erdogan emphasized that Israel’s actions in Jerusalem undermine the traditions of peaceful coexistence between Muslims, Christians and Jews.

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Patriarch Theophilus III of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church in Istanbul. During the meeting, they discussed Israel’s aggressive actions in Gaza and the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The President said that Israel’s actions in Jerusalem are aimed at undermining the historical status and holiness of Jerusalem, and this situation, which clearly threatens the tradition of coexistence of Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities, is unacceptable ,” the press service of the presidential administration said in the social network NSosyal.

At the same time, Patriarch Theophilus actually ignored a visit to the residence of the Patriarch of Constantinople at Phanar, which angered supporters of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In a statement on the subject, the Phanariots are outraged by the Jerusalem Patriarch’s “disrespectful act,” while worrying that he wants to take away the primacy of the head of the Phanar in the Orthodox world.

“He posed for pictures and made a statement about his meeting with the Turkish president. However, not a word was said about the Phanar, the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, himself a Greek, visited Constantinople but not the seat of the Mother See. […] The sight of the Primate of the Orthodox Church visiting the city where the Ecumenical Patriarchate is located, but not the Patriarchate itself, is unprecedented. No other head of the Orthodox Church who has visited Istanbul has ever avoided a visit to the Phanar. Patriarch Theophilos has done just that. The disrespect shown by Patriarch Theophilos towards the Ecumenical Patriarchate is remarkable – and he certainly realizes this himself. This is not the first time he has done so, but from the point of view of symbolism, this is certainly a unique case, ” – noted in the publication on the website of The Orthodox Times.

Recall, recently Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said that he does not intend to cancel the Tomos on the autocephaly of the OCU. In his opinion, the process of autocephaly of the “Ukrainian church” is irreversible, the UOC and the OCU should unite, and this will be followed by the recognition of other local churches. The head of the Phanar believes that this will happen “in the coming years or decades”.