Yannis Maniatis, head of delegation PASOK and vice-president of the Socialist Group of the European Parliament, calls European Commission intervene in the situation in connection with With Turkey's refusal allow the Divine Liturgy to be held in a historic monastery Panagia Sumela in Pontus per day August 15.
Greek MEP asks Commission to protect religious freedoms in Turkey and cultural heritage sites, the newspaper reports pontosnews.gr. In his question, he cites the history of 2010, when the monastery was first opened for the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on August 15. He also recalls that in 2022, the Turkish authorities desecrated this important monument for Pontic Hellenism by organizing electronic music partiesand in 2023 permission to conduct the liturgy was given only on August 12.
MEP Yannis Maniatis (photo: pasok.gr)
Full text of the parliamentary question
“In June 2010, the Turkish government granted permission to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to celebrate the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on August 15, the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, at the historic monastery of Panagia Sumela, one of the most important monuments of Pontic Hellenism. Permission to celebrate the Mass on August 15 was granted every year until 2016, when the monastery was closed for restoration work and then remained closed due to measures to combat the coronavirus.
In 2023, the Turkish authorities issued the corresponding permit only for August 12, and this year it was issued for the service August 23. Let us recall that in 2022, the Turkish authorities turned this historical monument into a club, allowing DJ play electronic music with the aim of “promoting tourism in the area.”
“The commission is asked the question:Is conduct that restricts the freedom of religious expression of citizens compatible with the status of a candidate country? What actions does it intend to take to protect religious freedoms in Turkey and to protect cultural heritage sites?
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