The consecration of the New Archbishop of İzmir, Mgr Martin Kmetec, was held at the İzmir Santa Maria Church on February 2, 2021, the day that coincides with the Day of the Presentation of Jesus Christ to the Temple. Archbishop Mgr Martin Kmetec succeeded Mgr Lorenzo Piretto, who took office in 2015 and retired due to his age.
Due to the flood in İzmir, the church was flooded and the ceremony started an hour and a half late.
Consecration was realized accompanied by İzmir’s retired Archbishop Mgr Lorenzo Piretto, who is the Nuncio of Vatican ambassador to Turkey, Mgr. Paul Russell, and Turkey’s Chaldean Archbishop Mgr Ramzi Garmou and Moscow Bishop Mgr Nikolai Dubi.
İzmir Greek Orthodox Church Metropolitan Archbishop Bartolomeo Samaras, Spiritual Council Member representing Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Sahak II, Senior Father Drtad Uzunyan, responsible for inter-church relations, High priest Vartan Kirakos Kazanjian on behalf of Turkey’s Armenian Catholic Archbishopric, Anglican Church priests Patrick Irwin and James Buxton, Priest Tomas Lešnak representing the Franciscan Conventual High Priest of the World and Sait Susin, President of the İstanbul Syriac Ancient Foundation, also attended the ceremony.
Around Mgr Martin Kmetec, two assistant priests from the same Franciscan Conventual congregation, Senior Father Anton Bulai, the Supervisor of the East and the Holy Lands from İstanbul, and Father Igor Salmič, the High Priest of the Slovenian region, were also present at the ceremony.
Other priests from İzmir, İstanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Iskenderun, Samsun, Trabzon and different European countries (Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, etc.) filled a significant part of the church.
The consecration started with the introductory speech of the retired Archbishop of İzmir, Mgr Piretto. Later, the Declaration from the Vatican, whose name was announced as the new Archbishop of İzmir, was read in Latin by Father Igor Barbini, high priest of the İzmir / Alsancak Rosario Church.
Before the document was read, it was shown by the reader to all the participants, all the gathered council and among which Slovenia’s ambassador to Turkey Veleposlanik Primož Šeligo, Paraguay’s ambassador to Turkey Ceferino Valdez Peralta, İzmir’s France and Slovenia Honorary Consul Zeliha Toprak, Dr. M. Mazhar İzmiroğlu, the representative of İzmir Konak Municipality Teodora Hacudi, and the representatives of Cultural and Educational institutions in the city.
The Archbishop, who was consecrated with the chant “Invocation to the Saints” sang by Father Iosif Robu, the High Priest of the İstanbul Saint Anthony Church, was invited to lie down in front of the Nuncio, and the audience was invited to kneel.
The future Archbishop knelt in front of the Nuncio to have his hands reached forth, first by him and then by three other Bishops.
While the open Bible was held by two aide priests above P. Martin’s head, Mgr Russell read the blessing prayer.
The ceremony continued with the Nuncio rubbing holy oil on Father Martin’s head, and then gave a Bible before wearing the loyalty symbol ring on his right ring finger. Mgr Russell put the Archbishop’s cap on the head of the new Archbishop of İzmir before giving the Archbishop his verge and inviting him to sit on the chair. In all his episcopal robes, Mgr Martin was greeted with an embrace of peace by the Nuncio, and then all the Archbishops and pastors beside the altar.
After the Eucharist ceremony is over Mgr Bartolomeo Samaras, on behalf of the Armenian Patriarch Father Drtad , Father James on behalf of Anglican Church, Vartan Kazanjian on behalf of the Franciscan Conventual priest Tomas Lesnaya and Turkey Armenian Catholic Archbishopric, presented gifts in order. Then Mgr Martin Kmetec, Mgr Lorenzo Piretto and Mgr Ramzi Garmou went back and forth to blessed the congregation from the middle way and to the end of the nave, during which the choir sang the traditional song of gratitude, “Te Deum”.
The new Archbishop hold the floor to thank those present at the consecration and to commemorate the commitments of his new assignment. He quoted the following in his speech: “… While addressing all the believers of our Catholic Church congregation, which is affiliated with our Archbishopric, the following words of my Bishop friend comes to mind: “Welcome to the Society of Bishops, Successors of the Apostles /… /. However, do not forget that God’s judgment will have more expectations from us.”
