“Papa Eftim served as much as an army in the War of Independence.”
- Mustafa Kemal Atatürk-
On the pulpit in his clerical robes, Ankara's white heart on his head... Pope Eftim was an extraordinary cleric who defended Turkish identity by opposing attempts to tie the Orthodox in Anatolia to Greek politics during the War of Independence.
During the years of the War of Independence, Pope Eftim fought for the organization of the Orthodox in Anatolia around the Turkish identity.
“I am not a friend of Turks, I am a Turk”
History sometimes divides identities by religion and nations by sect. However, in the darkest days of Anatolia, a voice rose that broke this stereotype. Wearing a black clerical robe on his torso and the white kalpak, the symbol of Ankara, on his head, this name was Papa Eftim.
March 14th marks the 57th anniversary of the passing of Papa Eftim. This article is a reminder of this extraordinary and often under-remembered hero of the National Struggle.
During the years of the War of Independence, when the occupation forces and the Greek Patriarchate tried to portray the Orthodox subjects in Anatolia as “Greek soldiers”, Zeki Erenerol, a Turk from Karaman - Papa Eftim - stood firmly against this dirty plan.
The words he shouted at a rally in Kayseri Square in 1922, attended by Mustafa Kemal Pasha himself, were not only a political stance but also a historical challenge:
“I am not a friend of Turks, I am a Turk. A foreigner may be a friend of Turks, but it hurts me above all to see a Turk like me, a Turk who does not speak any language other than his mother tongue, being declared a friend of Turks.”
This cry was a powerful response that psychologically collapsed the strategy of the invaders to divide Anatolia over religion. This cleric, who raised his prayers to the sky in his native Turkish language, represented the spirit of Anatolia.
A Spiritual Fortress Next to Ankara
Papa Eftim's patriotism was not just words; he dedicated his life to this struggle.
He organized the Turkish Orthodox in Anatolia against the political activities of the Greek Patriarchate of Fener, which Mustafa Kemal Pasha described in the Nutuk as “a pit of mischief and treason”, and founded the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate.
On April 23, 1920, he was part of the delegation that prayed at the opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and in 1922 he called on the people to resist in the garden of the Assembly, a clear indication of his commitment to the founding spirit of the Republic.
What Mustafa Kemal Pasha said about Papa Eftim “has served as much as an army” His words alone are enough to explain his place in the National Struggle.
He was awarded the Independence Medal by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey for his outstanding services and his family's stay in Turkey during the exchange years was secured by a special decision.
A Hundred Years of Hatred and Unchanging Loyalty
This honorable stance initiated by Papa Eftim has left both great pride and heavy costs to the generations that came after him.
His son, Selçuk Erenerol, and granddaughter, Sevgi Erenerol, picked up where he left off and continued their commitment to the Turkish state and nation, of which they are proud to say they are members, under all circumstances.
The unlawful conspiracies and pressures the family has been subjected to are in fact echoes of the hard blow that Papa Eftim struck against the games of imperialism. However, neither he nor his family has ever stepped back from their commitment to the Republic of Turkey founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
Conclusion Legacy of a Patriot
Commemorating Papa Eftim today is not just remembering a historical figure. To understand him is to realize that love for the homeland is a value far greater than sects, ethnic divisions and political calculations.
Because in these lands, love for the motherland is sometimes manifested in the uniform of a soldier, sometimes in the calloused hands of a peasant, sometimes in the black robe of a cleric.
I commemorate with respect the white-hearted cleric of the National Struggle, Papa Eftim, on the 57th anniversary of his death.
What did our ancestors say? “When it comes to the homeland, the rest is nothing.”
Papa Eftim is not only the spoken but also the lived version of this promise.