The presence of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul  for centuries is a testimony to the long tradition of religious tolerance in Turkey.

Although  there is no  particular provision regarding the Patriarchate in the Lausanne Peace Treaty,  the Patriarchate was subject to  extensive debates  in the  First Commission  of the Lausanne Peace Conference  on 10 January 1923.
 
The understanding reached during the  Peace  Conference was that  the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate would be allowed to remain in Istanbul  provided that  it would by  no means get involved in political and administrative  affairs and only serve for the spiritual needs of the Greek Orthodox Minority in Istanbul.

In other words, the Patriarchate accepted to shed all the political and administrative privileges granted by the Ottoman authorities in order to continue to reside  in Istanbul. In fact, this was a basic condition to be met, given the secular nature of the Turkish Republic.

The Patriarchate has been exercising its  functions without facing any  impediment and discrimination under the guarantee of the secular and democratic  character of the Turkish Republic.

Since the  foundation of the Turkish Republic, the Patriarchs have been elected freely by the St. Synod of the Patriarchate. Moreover, six   metropolitans who lacked Turkish citizenship were appointed to the Patriarchate’s Holy Synod in 2004. Turkish authorities did not make it an issue, although the members of the Holy Synod had always been Turkish citizens until then.

Considering that the Patriarchate is a Turkish institution and the Patriarch has to be a Turkish citizen, the usage  of the title of “Ecumenical” is  incongruous with the agreement reached  during the  Lausanne Peace Conference.