Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I expressed the Greek Orthodox community’s gratitude to the Turkish government for allowing them to hold a service in an ancient church in western Turkey.
The Istanbul-based Fener patriarch, called the permission to hold the liturgy “a sign of religious freedoms in Turkey.” according to a Daily Sabah report.
The patriarch was in Izmir’s Selcuk along with priests and faithful from Greece and Russia to preside over religious services at the Meryem Ana Church, a historic Byzantine temple in Ephesus where Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her final years with Saint John before its conversion to a church.
Speaking to reporters, the patriarch said, “We are glad to live here and thank God for it. I would like to sincerely thank everyone from the Selcuk mayor to the Culture and Tourism Minister for helping us to have an opportunity to hold the Divine Liturgy here. We wouldn’t be here if the authorities did not allow. This is a sign of religious freedom.”
Bartholomew I said the church is of historic significance, as Ephesus was also the place where The Council of Ephesus, a convention of Christian bishops, was held in 431 A.D. “The lands of Anatolia are sacred for many religions and it lies in an intersection of civilizations. We are happy to live here and are grateful to God,” the patriarch added.
The patriarch, who has served as the Greek Orthodox patriarch since 1991, frequently expresses support for the current government’s policies toward religious minorities. The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government, which has been in power since 2002, has moved to restore religious rights of minorities living in Turkey as part of democratization reforms.
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