The Head of the Phanar Attended a Reception Marking the Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic of Turkey

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended an official dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to mark the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey. During his visit to the capital, the head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople also held a series of meetings with religious and business leaders.

According to the Greek news outlet Orthodoxia.info, the formal reception took place at the Beştepe Presidential Palace in Ankara. Patriarch Bartholomew was accompanied on the trip by Metropolitan Emmanuel, Senior of Chalcedon. The head of the church arrived in the Turkish capital by plane, having returned to Istanbul from Italy the previous evening.

During his stay in Ankara, the Ecumenical Patriarch visited the residence of Metropolitan Gregory of Ankara, where he performed the rite of the blessing of water and blessed a luncheon attended by the Vatican nuncio and other distinguished guests. In addition, at the invitation of Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, president of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), the Patriarch visited the organization’s headquarters, where a cordial meeting took place. Late in the evening, the patriarchal delegation returned to Istanbul.

As a reminder, Turkey recently held commemorative events marking the 573rd anniversary of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The highlight of the commemorative events was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s participation in a prayer service at Hagia Sophia, which underscored the historical and religious significance of the event for the modern Republic of Turkey.