ASIA/TURKEY - Catholics and Orthodox give warm welcome to relics of St John Chrysostom and St Gregory Nanzianzen arrived from Rome - Jesuit House returned to Syro-Catholic community

Tuesday, 30 November 2004

Istanbul (Fides Service) - An ecumenical assembly, including civil authorities and many Catholic Bishops gathered yesterday in the St George’s Orthodox Cathedral to welcome the relics of St Gregory Nazianzen and St John Chrysostom, Bishops and Doctors of the Church, former Patriarchs of Constantinople, given by Pope John Paul II to the present Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Rome last Saturday evening during a special ecumenical service in St Peter’s. Today large crowds are expected to attend Celebrations of the Divine Liturgy to mark the feast of St Andrew.
“This was an act of reconciliation among the Churches which is bound to have positive effects on ecumenical relations in the future” Father George Marovich, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Turkey, told Fides. Both national media and state institutions gave ample space to the event which caused joy and emotion among all the different Christians in Turkey.
Church/State relations are gradually improving. Recently a Jesuit church and house was returned to its owners and entrusted to the Syro-Catholic community in Istanbul.
Christians hope that the formation of joint commission of Catholics and government members will help improve relations Church-state even further and also to define the juridical status of the Catholic community. “Progress in these talks will depend indirectly on Turkey’s drawing close to the Union European, a process which will foster recognition of the Catholic Church in this country” Father Marovich told Fides.
During a meeting with Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July the Catholic Bishops of Turkey (Lain, Armenian, Chaldean Syro-Catholics) had a chance to illustrate difficulties and problems encountered by Catholics in Turkey and also to make a request for official juridical status for the Catholic Church in Turkey.
Turkey has a population of 66 million, 98% Muslim. Christians, 0.6%, are Orthodox and Catholics of Latin, Armenian, Syrian, Chaldean, Byzantine, Maronite rites. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 30/11/2004 righe: 37 parole 370)


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