Department for External Church Relations
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Paschal services were held for the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church in various cities of Turkey
DECR Communication Service, 23.04.2023.
On the 16th
of April, the day of the Holy Pascha, a Paschal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of the Equal to the Apostles Constantine and Helen, located on the territory of the summer residence of the Consulate General of Russia in Istanbul. The service was led by Priest Georgy Sergeev, responsible for organising the pastoral care of the Russian Orthodox Church on the territory of the Republic of Turkey.
The festive service in Istanbul was also attended by the faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate living in the cities of Bursa and Kocaeli. More than 220 people attended the Liturgy. At the Liturgy, special prayers were offered and a prayer for the Holy Rus’ was recited.
At the end of the service Father Georgy read out the Paschal message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and then addressed the congregation. After the service, those present in the church were invited to a festive meal.
On April 15th and 16th, Holy Saturday and Holy Pascha services were held for the first time at the Russian House in Ankara. With the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, the services were celebrated by the clergyman of the Kolomna Diocese, Priest Evgeny Dolya, and were attended by more than 130 compatriots, as well as the director of the Russian House in Ankara, A. Sotnichenko and members of the Russian Diplomatic Mission. More than 80 people received Holy Communion. After the Easter service, the congregation gathered for a festive meal in the courtyard of the cultural centre.
On Easter, there was also a service for the faithful living in Antalya, Turkey. More than 150 people attended the Liturgy, which was officiated by Priest Alexis Golovin, responsible for the Russian-speaking congregation in this city, as well as parishioners from Marmaris.
In the Antalya city of Alanya, the Easter service was celebrated by Priest Dimitri Bogatyr, who is responsible for the Russian-speaking congregation. More than 130 people received the Holy Communion.
With the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the DECR, Priest Vladislav Ratnikov, a student at the Graduate School of the Sretensky Theological Academy, was sent to Izmir to perform the Easter service. The service was organised with the assistance of A. Ponomarev, Chairman of the Solzhenitsyn Russian Society in Izmir. The Easter Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of St. Vukol of Smyrna, administered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey. Compatriots who live in Izmir and also in Kusadasi, which is a hundred kilometres away, attended the festive service. More than 80 Russian-speaking believers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia were present.
On Paschal night, Hieromonk Palladius (Bystrov), resident of Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, officiated the service for the employees of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, which is under construction. More than 150 people prayerfully attended the Divine Liturgy.
On the 20th April, Thursday of Holy Week, priest Georgy Sergeev celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate living in Eskisehir, a city in central Turkey.
The next day, on Friday of the Holy Week, an Easter service was held in the city of Samsun on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Priest Georgy Sergeev. About 40 people attended the service, most of whom received Holy Communion.
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