The decision was also praised on January 19th by Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew, himself a native of Gokceada. "You are witnessing, step-by-step, a righting of past injustices," he said from the island's main Christian Orthodox cathedral.
Odluku je 19. januara pohvalio i pravoslavni patrijarh Vartolomej, i sam poreklom sa Gokčeade. „Korak po korak, svedoci smo ispravljanju nepravdi iz prošlosti“, rekao je on iz saborne crkve na ostrvu.