On Thursday, May 6, the Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey Sahak II visited the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Spiritual Leader and Deputy Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Community in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Çetin, on the occasion of the Holy Resurrection day.
Courtesy Visit to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
On Thursday, May 6, Patriarch Sahak II, accompanied by Priest Hovagim Serovpyan, Senior Father Drtad Uzunyan and Father Nerses Ayvazyan, went to the Fener Greek Patriarchate and visited the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. After Patriarch Sahak II was greeted at the gate of the Patriarchate by the Deputy Patriarch Priest Theodoros and the clergy, he visited the St. George Patriarchate Cathedral and prayed for a short while.
Later, Patriarch Sahak II and his nature were accepted by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Kadıköy Metropolitan Emanuil Adamakis was also present at the meeting. On the occasion of the courtesy visit, Patriarch Sahak II celebrated the Holy Resurrection Festival of the Greek Orthodox Church in the person of Patriarch Bartholomew and offered his best wishes. In his short speech, he summarized, “The pandemic process was still making its impact, and therefore the churches were making extra efforts to continue their services. During this period, reciprocal visits provided a good opportunity for spiritual leaders to converse and comfort one another. It was very pleasant for the brothers to be together and pray for the same purpose, as it was read on Bible.”
As Patriarch Sahak II ended his speech, he presented an example to Patriarch Bartholomew from the book “Balyanlar Ottoman Architecture and Balyan Archive” written by Büke Uras with the contributions of HAYCAR.
On the other hand, while Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his satisfaction on the occasion of the courtesy visit, he greeted the good wishes of the Armenian Church in the person of Patriarch Sahak II and added that it was pleasing to see good inter-church relations between the sister churches while also joining his words. During the meeting, the two patriarchs conversed about inter-church life and current issues. At the end of this pleasant conversation, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presented various books to Patriarch Sahak II and his nature. Afterwards, he presented a scepter to Patriarch Sahak II as a commemoration of the visit. Patriarch Sahak II, after thanking him for the hospitality, left the Fener Greek Patriarchate with his nature.
First Visit to the Syriac Church Spiritual Center
Patriarch Sahak II, accompanied by Priest Hovagim Serovpyan, Senior Father Drtad Uzunyan and Father Nerses Ayvazyan, on Thursday, May 6, went to the Syriac Metropolitan Municipality in Tarlabaşı and visited the Spiritual Leader and Deputy Patriarch of the Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir Syriac Orthodox Community, Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Çetin.
This visit, which was made on the occasion of the Holy Resurrection Day, was also the first visit of Patriarch Sahak II to the Syriac Church spiritual center. Therefore, Syriac clergy, deacons, readers and administrators led by the Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Çetin greeted His Beatitude the Patriarch at the door and enthusiastically greeted him with their traditional “zılgıt”. Afterwards, Patriarch Sahak II went to the Metropolitan Cathedral with a religious procession. In the Church, two spiritual leaders approached the Holy Altar, where the Assyrian Patriarch’s Deputy gave a speech first. Metropolitan Filüksinos Yusuf Çetin touched upon the historical relations of the Armenian and Assyrian churches and stated that it was an honor to host Patriarch Sahak II for the first time in the Metropolitan. Due to the pandemic process, this visit unfortunately had to be postponed for reasons beyond our control. In these days when the enthusiasm of the Holy Resurrection prevailed, he wished His Beatitude the Patriarch peace, blessings and success.
Afterwards, Patriarch Sahak II, with his episcopal scepter and Holy Cross, blessed the church and gave a short speech.
“During the pandemic, unfortunately, many ceremonies were held in the shadow of restrictions, but this welcome really impressed him. During the ceremony, the presence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit was felt in the Church.” Patriarch Sahak II also stated that the Armenian and Assyrian churches have deep-rooted traditions as they are historical churches. In the course of their ministry for nearly 2,000 years, both churches instilled in their people the spirit of Christianity. On this occasion, His Beatitude the Patriarch touched upon inter-church relations and prayed that the relations would be stronger and that the spirit of union with the Lord Jesus Christ would inspire both church leaders. On this occasion, while prayers were being said for the permanence of both churches, those in the church joined the prayers with the voices of “zılgıt”, the words “Amen” and applause. The welcoming ceremony ended with the final blessing of His Beatitude the Patriarch and the “Lord’s Prayer.”
Later, Patriarch Sahak II and his nature were hosted in the Metropolitan Reception Hall.
Later, Patriarch Sahak II and his nature were hosted in the Metropolitan Reception Hall. Here, Patriarch Sahak II once again celebrated the Holy Resurrection of those present and wished the effects of the coronavirus pandemic to disappear. On the other hand, Metropolit Filüksinos Yusuf Çetin offered his thanks on behalf of his community. On the occasion of the visit, commemorative gifts were presented to Patriarch Sahak II. After the meeting, Patriarch Sahak II thanked His Highness the Metropolitan for his hospitality and left the Metropolitan.
