The Greek Orthodox Church expressed on Tuesday a "strong protest" against the desecration of the Sumela Monastery in the Turkish province of Trabzon, where local authorities allowed a disco inside what is considered one of the world's oldest Orthodox Christian shrines
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2022) The Greek Orthodox Church expressed on Tuesday a "strong protest" against the desecration of the Sumela Monastery in the Turkish province of Trabzon, where local authorities allowed a disco inside what is considered one of the world's oldest Orthodox Christian shrines.
Earlier in February, videos and pictures emerged on social media showing a DJ and young people dancing in the monastery. The local authorities said the event had been organized to attract tourists to the shrine.
"Due to the fact that last week the ancient holy Panagia Sumela Monastery in Pontus was used as a background by a group of dancers, sound and image specialists in a music video in which they sing and dance to the sound of a bell, the synod expresses its strong protest over the desecration of the shrine, the historic monastery," the church said in a statement.
The synod stressed that the incident took place on the basis of a permit issued by the Turkish authorities. According to the Greek church, the explanation that the video was filmed to attract tourists is "unacceptable".
The synod also said the video had caused discontent and a strong reaction even among local residents in Turkey, who love and respect the monument.
"The Synod of the Greek Church expresses its disappointment, strong protest and concern that the desecration of the Panagia Sumela Monastery became another action of the Turkish authorities against a monument of the world's cultural heritage, following the transformation of the churches of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia of Trebizond and the Chora Church into mosques. This severely offends not only the religious beliefs of the Pontic Greeks, but also the international understanding of respect and protection of religious and historical monuments from any attempts to change their character," the church said.
The Russian Orthodox Church has also protested the desecration of Sumela and other Orthodox churches and monasteries in Turkey. The head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion, condemned the "cynical trampling of the Christian shrine."
The Panagia Sumela Monastery was built at the end of the 4th and at the beginning of the 5th century. It is carved in rock at more than 984 feet above sea level. The shrine is especially venerated by Pontic Greeks. The monastery is a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage list.
