Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his deep shock at the tragic death of hundreds of our fellow humans and the injury of many others, due to the strong earthquake in southeastern Turkey, in his letters to the President of the Turkish Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but also to Patriarch John X of Antioch as many areas of his jurisdiction were affected.
The Ecumenical Patriarch expressed his sympathy to the victims as well as the warm condolences, and support of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, praying that the all-good God may rest the souls of the victims, and strengthen their families and relatives in their deepest mourning. He also wished a speedy and complete restoration of the health of the injured, as well as a strengthening of the work of the rescue teams, and of the medical and nursing staff of the hospitals that treat the injured.