Apostolic visit
to Turkish Republic started.
29 March 2011, Turkey:
His Holiness the Patriarch Moran Mor
Ignatius Zakka Iwas started a three-day official
visit to the Turkish government in Ankara.
Accompanied the head of the Syrian Orthodox
Church of the Metropolitan Mor Gregorios Hanna
Ibrahim of Aleppo, Mor Philoxenos Mattias Nayis,
Secretary of the Patriarch of Syria, Mor
Philoxenos Yusuf Cetin of Istanbul and Ankara
and Mor Timotheos Samuel Aktas of Tur Abdin,
together with the Diocesan Council Presidents of
the two dioceses in Turkey, and the chairman of
the foundation of the monastery Mor Gabriel
monastery Kuryakus Ergün and attorneys Rudi
Sümer.
According to information of the abbot of the
monastery Mor Augin Yokin Unfal from the
monastery of Mor Gabriel over Suryoyo Online
meets the Patriarch and his delegation on
Wednesday (30.03.2011), together with the
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in Ankara Receb
Tayib. The focus of the Patriarch's visit is a
conversation with the Turkish government on the
current situation threatening the Syrians in
Turkey, namely the expropriation of the lands of
the monastery Mor Gabriel in Tur Abdin by the
Turkish state.
After the verdict in January and February 2011
said the highest court in Ankara, Turkey 24.4
hectares of the Treasury and other 27.6 acres of
monastery land to the Forest Service. Evidence
such as government land titles pushed the court
simply ignored and not appreciated. The Turkish
state and three neighboring Muslim villages
brought four lawsuits against the monastery. The
criminal trial against the president of the
Foundation monastery is still open. Such
government measures to intimidate the Christian
Arameans in Turkey. The Southeast Anatolian
region of Malatya to the Syrian and Iraqi border
are of the Aramaic original inhabitants almost
entirely free. Only 3,000 people in the Tur
Abdin remain. Thus, their churches and
monasteries were gone.
His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I
Iwas in talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan in Ankara on the Mor Gabriel Monastery
Land Dispute.
30th March 2011,
Ankara, Turkey: His Holiness Moran Mor
Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, The Patriarch of the
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch was
accompanied by Mor Gregorius Yohanna Ibrahim
Metropolitan of Aleppo, Mor Timotheos Samuel
Aktas Bishop of Tur Abdinand Mydiat, Mor
Philoxenos Yusuf Cetin Bishop of Istanbul and
Mor Philoxenus Mattias Nayis Patriarchal
Assistant on an official visit as a guest of the
Turkish government.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Prime Minister of the
Republic of Turkey, welcomed, in his residence
in Ankara, His Holiness and the accompanied
delegation of bishops and members of the Tur
Abdin and Istanbul Church Council and the head
of the legal team in charge of the Tur Abdin
case.
Also present at the meeting were the Turkish
Secretary for the Environment whose office is
responsible for Turkish Forestry, senior members
of the Turkish civil servants representing
different ministries involved in this case and
members of the diplomatic corps.
The talks took place pending the judicial
proceedings in relation to the dispute of
annexing land of Church Syrian Orthodox Church
in the region of Tur Abdin South East Turkey.
His Holiness highlighted the ancient history of
the Syrian Orthodox and their coexistence in
Turkey. His Holiness discussed the case of Tur
Abdin and how after, two thousand years we are
now witnessing sacreligious moves to annexe land
and properties of the Monasteries of Mar
Gabriel, a sacred monastery and an important
spiritual centre and destination for pilgrims
for the Syrian Orthodox (second to Jerusalem).
His Holiness stressed that justice must take its
course in the restoration of the rights of the
Church. His Holiness assured the Prime Minster
that the Church will not forsake its rights in
its sacred places at any cost.
Mr. Ordogan highlighted his appreciation of the
role and participationsof the Syrian Orthodox in
Turkey whose fingerprints are indelible in the
history of Turkey. Mr Ordogan
told the Patriarch and his delegation that he
will be following the case and will do his
utmost to find a proper outcome to settle this
dispute after the issuance of the court’s
verdict. The meeting lasted for over an hour. It
was agreed that the Patriarch and Prime Minster Erdoğan will meet again soon after the court
verdict to follow up the disputed lands of St
Gabriel’s Monastery.
A report of the meeting appeared in the Turkish
equivalent to the court circular and was widely
covered by the Turkish media.
Source:
Alepposuryoye.com
Back to news page
