On July 4, 2024, the fourth meeting of the Working Group on the interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Office of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey was held in Istanbul. The topics of the meeting were devoted to the strengthening and protection of the traditional family, as well as the impact of the desecration of religious shrines on social harmony.
On July 3, a delegation from the Moscow Patriarchate led by the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk arrived in Istanbul with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The delegation also included Vice-Chairmen of the Russian Orthodox Church Archimandrite Filaret (Bulekov) and Protopriest Igor Yakimchuk, Priest Georgy Sergeev, responsible for the care of the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church in Turkey, Priest Ilia Kashitsyn, Secretary for Interreligious Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Priest Nikolai Vasin, Assistant to the Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Patriarchal Archdeacon Konstantin Bargan, member of the Patriarch's Expert Council on Interaction with the Islamic World.
The delegation of the Office of Religious Affairs of Turkey was headed by the Deputy Chairman of the UDR, Prof. Selim Argun. It included Mahmut Ozdemir, Head of the Directorate of External Relations, Salih Gore, Head of the Eurasia Division, specialists Omer Savuran and Tulcay Altınşık, and other staff members.
Participants exchanged greetings and emphasized the relevance of cooperation in the face of contemporary threats to peace and harmony among religions and peoples. Dr. Selim Argun's speech was devoted to an overview of the key challenges and threats facing traditional religions today. Metropolitan Anthony in his report mentioned the topics of the religious situation in Ukraine, ways to consolidate religious communities around traditional values, joint counteraction to provocations and insults to the feelings of believers.
Propriest Igor Yakimchuk in his speech familiarized the participants with the facts of violation of the rights of believers of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, seizures and desecrations of churches and monasteries in Ukraine, persecution of clergy. Priest George Sergeev spoke about the pastoral care of Orthodox Russians in Turkey and thanked the state leadership of this country for the opportunity to conduct services for Russians, including in historical places in the region. Priest Ilia Kashitsyn presented a report analyzing official documents and statements of the Interreligious Council of Russia on the topic of supporting the family and family values, as well as in connection with blasphemous and offensive acts against religious symbols and shrines. Archdeacon Konstantin Bargan made a presentation on interethnic relations in Russia, highlighting the role of Turkic ethnic groups, their contribution to the culture and history of the country, as well as the historical path of the Gagauz people, its close ties with Turkey and Russia. Part of the speech was delivered in Turkish.
The reports of Mahmut Ozdemir, head of the Directorate for External Relations of the Department of Religious Affairs, and Salih Gora, head of the Eurasia Division, on the protection of religious symbols and objects from desecration and on the support of the family and the traditional family way of life were delivered.
The reports on the protection of religious symbols and objects from desecration and on the support of the family and the traditional family way of life were delivered.
The participants of the meeting noted the need to continue the interaction and its expansion in order to identify the causes of the challenges faced by humanity in the crisis of the international legal system. Agreements were reached on the formation of relevant subgroups. At the end of the meeting, members of both delegations exchanged memorable gifts.
On the same day, the members of the church delegation, at the invitation of the Turkish side, visited the complex of the historic church of St. Sophia of Constantinople, where their a brief meeting with the Chief Imam Ferrukh Mushtuer. In addition, there was a visit to the Church of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine and Queen Helen, located on the territory of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Istanbul (formerly the Embassy of the Russian Empire).
On July 5, Metropolitan Anthony and his entourage visited the complex of the historic monastery of Chora (the Church of St. Sophia in the Fields). On the same day the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church departed for Moscow.
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The Working Group on interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Religious Affairs Department of Turkey was formed in 2012 in fulfillment of the agreements reached following the meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and Professor Mehmet Görmez, Chairman of the Religious Affairs Department of the Republic of Turkey. Meetings of the Group were held in Ankara (in 2012) and Moscow (in 2014 and 2017).
EVCS Communication Service/Patriarchy.ru
