In a momentous occasion, the Spiritual Leader of the Syriac Orthodox Community in Istanbul, Yusuf Çetin, expressed his jubilation on the opening of Republic of Türkiye’s inaugural Syriac Ancient Orthodox Church. Çetin hailed Türkiye as a mannequin of democracy and interfaith concord, heralding the newfound freedom for the Syriac group to apply their beliefs in their very own church.
The St. Ephrem Syriac Ancient Orthodox Church, a historic milestone for the Syriac group, was formally opened on Oct. 8 in a ceremony graced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Reflecting on this monumental achievement, Çetin exclaimed, “For decades, we worshiped in churches of other communities, but now, we can proudly call this church our own and freely practice our faith.”
He additionally counseled the state’s dedication to the well-being of minority communities, emphasizing on the hope that different nations within the Middle East would draw inspiration from Türkiye’s instance.
“This is a first in the history of the Republic,” famous Çetin, “Our church was opened first by God’s great grace and then by the will of our President.” The Syriac group’s pursuit of their very own church started in 2010, with Erdoğan’s honest assist culminating within the historic groundbreaking ceremony, a sworn statement to the President’s dedication to the rights of the group.
Çetin added, “As a community, we believed in him and trusted his sincerity. He honored not only Assyrians in Türkiye but also diaspora Assyrians. Our church has a history of 2,000 years.” The opening ceremony noticed spiritual representatives from world wide uniting to rejoice this outstanding occasion.
Çetin additionally vehemently condemned inhumane assaults on spiritual symbols and values, emphasizing on the significance of respecting religious beliefs as an integral part of preserving world concord and peace.
He burdened, “Countries should adopt the necessary measures to end such provocative actions. I hope that such actions that will put world peace in trouble will end as soon as possible.”
The Syriac group, with a wealthy historical past courting again 5,500 years within the Middle East, celebrated this momentous occasion with pleasure and delight. Messages of congratulations and assist poured in from group members worldwide, acknowledging the importance of this event.
Furthermore, he marked the alignment of this occasion with the a centesimal anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, honoring its founder, Gazi Mustafa Kemal and expressing his hopes for lasting peace on the planet.
Regarding the Israel-Palestine battle, Çetin supplied an emotional plea for the cessation of hostilities, emphasizing on shared human values that ought to unite folks and advocating for world leaders to work diligently towards peace within the area.
He remarked, “The Middle East is boiling; it has turned into a flame of fire. I pray that the rulers of other countries will also pour water to extinguish this fire.”
Çetin concluded by highlighting the sacred significance of Jerusalem for 3 heavenly religions and urging unity and love amongst all folks, transcending political boundaries and variations. His heartfelt prayer echoed a common hope for ending the turmoil and lack of life within the Middle East.
Source: www.dailysabah.com