During the Inter-Church Unity Prayer week, the last day prayers and closing ceremony were held at Feriköy Surp Vartanants Armenian Apostolic Church.
On the evening of Saturday, January 27, prayers were held on the last day of the Inter-Church Unity Prayer week at the Feriköy Surp Vartansnts Church, with a ceremony presided over by the Patriarch of Armenians of Türkiye Sahak II.
The ceremony was attended by High Priest Harutyun Damadyan from the Armenian Apostolic Church, Priest Hovagim Seropyan, Deputy Patriarch Senior Father Krikor Damadyan, Senior Father Kevork Çınaryan, Senior Father Goryun Fenerciyan, Patriarchate director in charge of religious ceremonies Senior Father Krikor Damadyan, Father Husig Hergelyan, the church’s religious officer Father Şirvan Mürzyan, Father Nerses Ayvazyan, Father Melkon Pınarcıyan, Deacon, junior deacon, senior Reader and readers.
There were religious leaders attented from the sister churches: Assyrian Ancient Church’s Deputy Patriarch Metropolitan Mor Filüksinos Yusuf Çetin, Latin Catholic Church religious leader Monsignor Massimiliano Palinuro, Archbishop Ramzi Garmo from the Chaldean Church, Priest Haralambi Niçev from the Greek Patriarchate of Istanbul, High Priest Vartan Kazancıyan from the Armenian Catholic Church with their accompanying delegations, attended the prayers with representatives of the Coptic Church, Assyrian Catholic Church, German Protestant Church, Dutch Church and Turkish Protestant Churches.
The ceremony started with a cortege entering the Church from the church garden, accompanied by the hymns “Urah Ler”. After the prayers, the sister church participants read the 24 stanzas of St. Nerses Şınorhali’s “Havadov Hosdovanim” (I Confess by Faith) prayer in their own languages, in accordance with the day’s program.
Thus, the prayer was recited in Armenian, Greek, Russian, Latin, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Turkish and Syriac. During the interstanzas, the priests affiliated with the Armenian Patriarchate of Türkiye sang the hymns under the leadership of Senior Father Krikor Damadyan.
After the prayer readings, Patriarch Sahak II briefly stated in his speech that the prayer for unity between churches is important and that he was pleased with the formation of these weeks. He stated that although the sects are different, there is one Church of Jesus Christ and all Christians are brothers and sisters in the Lord.
After the speech, Patriarch Sahak II blessed the participants with the “Bahbaniç” prayer and the Lord’s Prayer was recited together.
Afterwards, the cortege left the church with the hymn “Sioni”.
After the church ceremony, the guest clergy and all believers who attended the ceremony were hosted with a cocktail in the church hall.
