The Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey, Sahak II, condemned the unpleasant incident in the Kadıköy Surp Takavor Church.
Statement from the Patriarchate’s Facebook page:
Last night, Sunday, July 11, 2021, in a video on social media platforms, in the footage of an unpleasant incident in front of the Kadıköy Surp Takavor Armenian Church, it seemed that the crowd gathered in the square in front of the church had fun with music and three of them climbed to the entrance door of the church and started dancing here.
Deputy Patriarch and Religious Officer of Kadıköy Surp Takavor Armenian Church Father Krikor Damadyan received the necessary information from the church staff and officials regarding the incident, and at midnight, he informed his beatitude the Patriarch Sahak II. about the incident in detail.
According to the information received from the Surp Takavor Church, a group of people including alcoholics gathered in the square in front of the church and started to have fun late on Saturday, July 10th. Three of them climbed the church wall and started dancing on it. The church official, the night watchman, first warned the people to come down. When they remained in their places, the night watchman called the security forces and asked for help. After the security forces arrived at the scene, the group having fun in the square dispersed.
However, in recent days, similar forms of entertainment have been observed in Kadıköy, especially in Moda and its surroundings. When the pandemic bans come into effect at 24:00 at night, musical entertainment venues are closed and street entertainment is held afterwards. Neighborhood residents also report their discomfort about a similar situation and submit individual complaints to the competent authorities.
According to the information received from the Church, this morning, the Church Foundation Board of Directors also submitted a written complaint to the competent authorities so that similar incidents would not occur in the square in front of the church.
After being informed about the incident, His Holiness the Patriarch first expressed his sadness and condemned the incident. He added that the Patriarchate’s Office, in its capacity as a spiritual center, would contact the authorized units and would follow up on the event. Finally, he gave his fatherly advice to the Church Chaplain and the members of the Foundation Board, and conveyed his blessings to the members of the Kadıköy Armenian Community.
Second Statement from the Patriarchate of Armenians of Turkey Regarding the Incident in Kadıköy Surp Takavor Church
From the early hours of the morning, the unpleasant incident that took place in front of the Kadıköy Surp Takavor Armenian Church began to take place on social media. Patriarch Sahak II was interested in the incident from the very first moment and expressed his sadness and said that he would take care of the issue.
During the day, the official authorities also condemned this unpleasant event at the highest level. On this occasion, the Governor of Istanbul, Ali Yerlikaya, talked to His Beatitude the Patriarch on the phone and personally condemned the incident. Noting that the official authorities were following the incident, he stated that three suspects had been taken into custody. Mr. Governor continued his words as follows: “Your sensitivities are ours”. His Beatitude the Patriarch also spoke about the hurtful dimension of this event and conveyed his thanks to the official authorities on behalf of the Patriarchate for their sensitivity.
On the other hand, Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu and Governor Yerlikaya talked to Surp Takavor Armenian Church Foundation Chairman Arman Bükücüyan on the phone and described the incident as unacceptable. At the same time, the Mayor of Kadıköy, Mr. Şerdil Dara Odabaşı, contacted Garo Balyan, the 2nd President of the Foundation, and condemned this behavior against the place of worship.
