Displaying items by tag: Türkiye

6 February was the anniversary of two earthquakes that brought mass destruction to south Türkiye and northwest Syria, with over 50,000 lives lost. There were 1.7 million people in Hatay province, home to Türkiye’s largest Christian community; now there are only 250,000, as residents have moved to stay with relatives or find shelter elsewhere. A SAT-7 team who revisited the area found many who stayed living in ‘cities’ of container units. Rebuilding is under way, but the pace is slow and the task colossal. Although destruction was less widespread in Syria, many factors are preventing recovery. After twelve years of conflict, over four million people in the area were in need of humanitarian aid even before the quakes struck. Government corruption, international sanctions, and a collapse in the value of the Syrian currency have compounded the problem. The Bishop of Aleppo, Magar Ashkarian, said that although the earthquake had increased Christian migration abroad, denominations have come closer: ‘We live together in a very close relationship and try to help entirely without discrimination’.

On 11 October, a long-awaited day, St Ephrem Church in Istanbul was opened - the first Christian place of worship to be built in Türkiye in a hundred years. Around 20,000 Syriac Orthodox live in the metropolis, but until now they had only one church. Archbishop Yusuf Cetin said: ‘At some big ceremonies, more than half of the congregation stood outside. That is difficult when it is very cold or very hot. That's why in 2010 years ago we visited the president and the prime minister and started a dialogue.’ Following this, the congregation was allocated a plot of land and bureaucratic hurdles were overcome. These included a court case with the Catholic community in the area. However, if you ask the Catholics in Istanbul today, there is no longer any talk of a dispute. The building of the church is a historic event, says Fr Claudio Monge: ‘Not only all Christians, but also all those who have worked for an inclusive country that respects diversity and considers it an enrichment, can only rejoice!’