First church built in the history Republic of Türkiye welcomes visitors

The first-ever church built in Türkiye since the establishment of its republic in 1923 opened its doors to worshippers with an event attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the church in the district of Yesilkoy district on Istanbul's European side on Sunday, Sait Susin, president of the Istanbul Syriac Kadim Foundation, said the opening of the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church marked a historic day.

Underlining that the church was being opened on the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye, Susin said that all people of different faiths in the country, including Assyrians, had experienced many firsts over the past 20 years.

President Erdogan, speaking during the ceremony, said: "We do not allow disagreements with certain countries in our bilateral relations to affect our citizens in any way. We preserve this inclusive attitude, which is the legacy of Sultan Fatih (Ottoman sultan who conquered Istanbul in 1453), in all areas, especially in education."

"Discrimination against our brothers in the Balkans and Western Thrace may continue to increase, but we have never resorted to such a path against different religious groups, nor have we allowed it," Erdogan said.

The foundation for the church was laid at a 2019 ceremony, also attended by Erdogan.

It was designed as a five-story project in an empty area of a Latin Catholic Cemetery in Yesilkoy.

One floor was reserved as a cultural hall for the community to meet after mass or ceremonies, such as baptisms, funerals, and weddings, as well as for meetings and conferences. On the ground floor are the bishop's quarters, guest rooms, and a parking lot.

Inclusive approach to minorities

A day after the opening of church, Türkiye's communications director said, "This event marked the inauguration of the first newly built church in the Turkish Republic’s history," Reminding that the first-ever church built in Türkiye since the republic’s establishment in 1923 opened its doors to worshippers in Istanbul.

Türkiye will always oppose any political attempt to create religious divisions, Fahrettin Altun said on Monday.

"President Erdogan has always advocated for religious freedoms for all our citizens regardless of their denomination. He has worked to ensure that legal and administrative hurdles before renovation and restoration efforts of churches are removed," he said.

"All of these efforts have been accomplished according to our deep belief in the religious rights and freedoms of all our citizens. They are also a sign of our commitment to religious tolerance and mutual respect," he added.