Evening star., 1925-02-03
In TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Is the Lausanne treaty about to
become a scrap of paper" through
| the action of Turkey in alleged yio-
| lation of its provisions protecting the
Greek minority in Constantinople?
| Turkey has ordered the expulsion
| from Constantinople of the patriarch
| OF the Greek Catholic Orthodox
! Church-the equivalent of the Pope
| of Rome in his relation to the Roman
! Catholic Church. Against that ex
! pulsion Greece protests so vigorously
| that she threatens to sever diplo-
matte relations with Turkey, while
active and open steps toward prepa-
| rations for hostilities indicate that
war may be threatening. This en-
dangers not only the Balkans and
| Asia Minor, but who knows how
much else Of the Near East and Eu-
rope?
| The patriarchate has had its seat
! in Constantinople for seven centuries.
| 1t is the spiritual head of the religion
| of 140, 100000 people. To affront that
population is not merely for Turkey
and Greece to renew their quarrel
| but it involves the peace of mind of
/ all adherents of the Orthodox Church
| in whatever country they live. 1t in
/ cludes the Russians, who have not
all acquiesced in the atheism OF the
| Soviets, but cling to their spiritual
head. Already the patriarch, Con-
stantine, has fed from the city, and
i the synod, constituting the ruling
| body, awaits definite decision.
| The Greek government, exceeding
! the customary reserve of language in
| diplomacy, warns Turkey openly:
This act is a fragrant violation of
| existing treaties, and an act of hos
| tility toward Greece" Thereby the
| Greek government, taking official
! notice of the fate of the patriarch
! champions his cause as that of the
government itself, and by it's refer
ence to IAN act of hostility" fore
warns that the act will be answered
with hostilities. Mobs rage through
| the streets and ignore the fact that
| their country is in no financial or
military condition to renew a war
which so recently ended in complete
| Grecian debacle. Greece is said to be
preparing an appeal to the nations,
| though both Greece and Turkey are
adherents of the League of Nations,
which is organized with the avowed
purpose of preventing such war
threatening crises.
X X \
| 1t has been claimed by an American
diplomat of high standing and intimate
| familiarity with Turkish traditions that
while Turkey has been often accused of
Intolerance ana Cruelty size ndS d record
| of literal observance of all treaties
/ From the League of Nations at Geneva
comes the report that the mixed COM
mission which has been experimenting
the exchange of populations between
| Greece and Turkey under the agreement
| of the Lausanne treaty, has ruled that
Constantine, the patriarch, was person
! ally subject to the exchange, since he
| had arrived in Constantinople after the
armistice contrary to the terms of the
| exemptions.
The Greek reply to that ruling is that
| the patriarch is not to be considered as
a mere individual, but as the head of an
| institution which the treaty bound
| Turkey to protect in its spiritual free
| dom. The patriarchate was to be bereft
of it's former political power and func-
| tions which, originally, had been thrust
upon it by the Turkish government with
the view to aiding Turkey in ruling all
! the Orthodox Church. both inside and
beyond the borders of Turkish jurisdic-
| ton The question of the status of the
patriarchate was one of prolonged dis
cussion in the Lausanne conference.
The treaty provides in part 1, ar
| ticle AZ:
THE Turkish government undertakes
to grant full protection to the churches
lsynagogues, cemeteries and other re-
| ligious establishments of the above
mentioned minorities."
| In part f. article l, it also provides:
"As from May l, 1923, there shall
| take place a compulsory exchange OF