Turkey Grants Permission for Services at Panagia Soumela and Panagia Faneromeni After August 15

The Ecumenical Patriarchate has secured authorization from Turkish authorities to conduct Divine Liturgies at two significant historical pilgrimage sites in Asia Minor and Pontus: the Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Trabzon and the Church of Panagia Faneromeni in Artaki of Cyzicus. The services are slated for Sunday, August 23, 2026, coinciding with the commemoration of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

This approval marks a welcome development for the Patriarchate, allowing for religious services at these revered locations. The liturgy at Panagia Soumela will be an Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, while the service at Panagia Faneromeni will be presided over by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself. The dates follow the main feast day of the Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15.

However, the decision navigates a sensitive landscape, as certain nationalist circles in Turkey have previously argued that the August 15 date coincides with the anniversary of the Fall of Trabzon in 1461. These groups contend that the "victory of the Ottoman ancestors" should not be overshadowed by Christian religious ceremonies. The granting of permission indicates a move to allow these services despite such historical and nationalistic sensitivities.