The World Council of Pontian Hellenism has addressed a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, expressing its deep concern regarding the permission for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the historic Soumela Monastery.
According to a recent announcement by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Turkish authorities have decided to allow the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the Soumela Monastery on Friday, August 23, 2024, coinciding with the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Dormition (Apodosis). The service will be celebrated by Metropolitan Stefan of Kallioupolis and Madytos.
In light of this, the World Council of Pontian Hellenism is urging the Greek government to engage with Turkish officials to clarify the situation. The Council views any restriction on the Liturgy as a serious violation of religious freedom and human rights by Turkey. In their letter, they argue:
“We believe that the Turkish state, following the Genocide and ethnic cleansing carried out by their ancestors against our compatriots between 1914-1922, the conversion of the Saint Sophia Church in Trebizond into a mosque, the desecration of hundreds of Christian churches and monasteries, and its ongoing policies against the Pontian-speaking population in Turkey, will once again confirm the accusations of human rights and religious freedoms violations frequently cited in European Union progress reports.”
The Council also highlighted that hundreds of thousands of descendants of Pontian Greeks from Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and other parts of the world had planned to visit Trabzon this year for the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela, an event that holds significant cultural and spiritual importance and is highly valued by the local tourism sector.
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
