Church rituals were resumed in Iskenderun, following the normalization process and the measures taken against the coronavirus. Father Dimitri Yıldırım of the St. Nichola Greek Orthodox Church in Iskenderun stated that all precautions were taken for the rituals to be held in the church and that they have started the sacred rituals after a period of 2.5 months.
As of May 29, St. Nichola Greek Orthodox Church opened its doors to its congregation, where all preparations were completed in line with the rules such as social distance, the use of masks and checking temperatures at the entrance of the church.
Father Dimitri Yıldırım of the St. Nichola Greek Orthodox Church in Iskenderun, stated that they started the rituals after two and a half months, following the rules determined by the authorities. He said: “We have started the church rituals once again as the government and the state elders have stated. We will perform our rites in accordance with the social distance. We will accept our congregation members with their masks and make sure that the social distance rule is being followed. We will also check everyone’s temperatures in the entrance. We pay attention to all the hygiene rules. We have completed our preparations and made arrangements at our church. For now, participation in our rituals will be limited. The capacity of our church is 150 people, and we will accept a maximum of 30 people for the rituals. May God take this plague away from our country and from the world. I wish everyone health and happiness.”
Father Yıldırım emphasized that the beginning date of the rituals coincides with the farewell day of the Resurrection, adding that they celebrated the Christ’s Ascendant as well, and he also celebrated the whole community.
In the St. Nichola Greek Orthodox Church in Iskenderun, besides wearing masks, hand disinfection and fever measurement, the social distance rule is also carried out with ribbons placed in the seats.
