Department for External Church Relations
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Divine services to be celebrated on regular basis at the historical church in the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul
On 11 November 2018, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of Ss. Constantine and Helen the Equal-to-the-Apostles, located in the territory of the summer residence of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul, by Rev. Georgy Sergeyev, appointed acting rector of the church by the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.
Among those present at the service were Mr. Andrei Podyelyshev, Russia’s Counsel General in Istanbul, as well as staff members of the Consulate General and compatriots living in Istanbul and its outskirts.
During the Litany of Fervent Supplication, prayers were said for the preservation of the unity of Orthodoxy and for peace in Ukraine. To mark the centenary of the end of World War I, prayers were offered, commemorating the commanders and soldiers who had laid down their lives on the battlefields.
After the Liturgy Fr. Georgy greeted the worshippers and conveyed to them blessings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. As the priest noted, in view of the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of 15 October 2018, concerning the impossibility of Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople which had brutally violated the canons, the Russian-speaking Orthodox Christians living in Turkey are sending numerous appeals to the Moscow Patriarchate, asking to provide them with pastoral care. The appointment of the rector and the beginning of regular divine services at the historical church located in the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul is a sign of the Russian Orthodox Church’s concern for its children living in the Turkish land.
After the Liturgy the priest met with representatives of the Russian-speaking Diaspora in Turkey.
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The Church of Ss. Constantine and Helen the Equal-to-the-Apostles was built in 1832 in the territory of the summer residence of the Embassy of the Russian Empire. After the Revolution it was closed, and the building was used as a boiler-house. The restoration of the summer residence, including the church, was completed in 2009.
On 6 July 2009, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia performed the rite of lesser consecration of the church.
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