A/55/280/Add.1 religious affairs of their community. The Greek Orthodox and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchates and the Armenian Catholic and Protestant churches, however, do not have the status of corporate legal entities. They must therefore rely on foundations to acquire and manage their property. Yet these foundations are, on the whole, becoming increasingly ineffective because of the attitude of State institutions and the courts: the General Directorate of Foundations has been unilaterally confiscating the property of foundations, and other authorities have been preventing the election of boards of directors. The properties of these minorities are thus in a position where their future is very much in doubt, and indeed some have been confiscated, thereby depriving these communities of their principal source of revenue. With respect to educational institutions, minorities no longer have religious seminaries, and this poses a real threat to their ability to renew the ranks of their clergy and hence undermines the religious leadership and management of these communities. The Christian minorities face a number of difficulties with their schools: in some cases the authorities refuse to appoint headmasters from the community, and they are not allowed to accept students from outside their own community (which poses a particular problem for Armenian Catholic and Protestant children whose status is not recognized by the authorities — see para. 94). The procedures for electing Greek Orthodox and Armenian patriarchs also appear to have been affected, at various times, by interference from the authorities. Finally, freedom of worship is recognized for these minorities but is restricted to their places of worship, and any public show of religion is in fact severely discouraged by the authorities. 151. The specific situation of each minority may be described as follows: 152. As to the Greek Orthodox community, it must be said that it is slowly disappearing. Apart from the obstacles and the attacks discussed above, this fact can be explained by Turkey’s religious policy, by limits on the citizenship status of Orthodox Greeks, and by the climate of insecurity felt by this community, given the State’s failure to fulfil its responsibilities. Of course, this situation is primarily the result of relations between Turkey and Greece through the course of history, and in particular over the Cyprus issue, for which the Turkish Greek Orthodox community seems to be the scapegoat. 153. As to the Armenian minority (Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant), despite the fact that it is numerically the most important Christian community in Turkey, its position appears to be fragile and vulnerable. This situation, resulting from the facts presented above and from other particular problems (see paras. 80 to 95, in particular the problem of the taxes imposed on Armenian foundations, para. 88), reflects primarily the historical burden of relations between Turkey, heir to the Ottoman Empire, and the Armenian community in Turkey, in Armenia, and abroad. 154. As to the Jewish minority, the Special Rapporteur notes that its representatives have insisted that its situation is satisfactory. This may be explained in large part by the fact that, in contrast to the Armenians and the Greeks, the Jews have made no claim to lands within Turkey, and also by the close relations between Turkey and Israel. 155. As to the Christian minority communities not recognized by the Turkish authorities as covered by the Treaty of Lausanne, their situations vary greatly. 156. The non-Armenian Catholics enjoy freedom of religion and worship, but they encounter the same difficulties and obstacles as those facing “official” minorities. This community is therefore very fragile. 157. The Turkish Protestant Church faces numerous difficulties related both to its recent establishment in Turkey and to its religious activism. It has been denied legal recognition and cannot conduct its activities officially as a Protestant community (notably when it comes to acquiring places of worship and other properties). Its increasingly visible expansion arouses negative reactions, particularly among the authorities, who are committed to a restrictive interpretation of secularism and nationalism (and who have closed places of worship and ordered arrests). 158. The Syriacs, and in fact the entire AssyroChaldean community, seem to be gradually disappearing. In the first place, this community faces all of the problems described above: they are not recognized as a minority under the Treaty of Lausanne, although they have been present in Turkey for centuries; they have no legal status as a community; they are denied the right to their own educational, social, charitable and health institutions, and have no religious training seminaries; their places of worship are subject to confiscation and they are prevented from renovating those properties or from building new ones. 27