Department for External Church Relations
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Hierarch of the Patriarchate of Antioch celebrates Liturgy at home chapel of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant
DECR Communication Service, 10/10/2026
On 10th October 2026, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the home Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant under construction in the Turkish Province of Mersin. Officiating at the divine service was Bishop Paul of Tarsus (Patriarchate of Antioch), in whose canonical territory the Akkuyu Plant community is located. Among His Grace’s concelebrants were clerics of the Patriarchate of Antioch, as well as Priest Georgy Sergeyev, responsible for providing pastoral guidance to the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church in the territory of the Republic of Türkiye, and Hiromonk Pallady (Bystrov), who shepherds the Akkuyu community.
After the Liturgy, Bishop Paul warmly greeted all those present and conveyed to them greetings from His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East. In his archpastoral homily, His Grace spoke about deep historical ties between the Church of Antioch and the Russian Church. Bishop Paul mentioned in particular that the Russian Empire had helped restore the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Antakya after a devastating earthquake of 1872. As a commemorative gift, the archpastor presented the parish with a replica of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God which had been brought from Russia in the 19th century after the restoration of Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The Moscow Patriarchate clerics warmly greeted Bishop Paul and the clergy of the Tarsus Diocese, thanking them for the joy of Eucharistic communion, and presented the archpastor with an icon of the Saviour painted by Svetlana Derin, a parishioner of the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, Equal-to-the-Apostles, in Istanbul.
Mr M.A. Terekhin, Chief Security Officer of JSC “Akkuyu Nuclear,” also greeted the delegation of the Patriarchate of Antioch and presented memorable gifts to the clergy and guests from the Tarsus Diocese.
After the Liturgy, all those present shared a meal offered to them by Mr N.D. Kostyuchkov, head of JSC “NEPT,” through whose efforts the home chapel for the nuclear plant staff had been built and decorated.
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