LAST UPDATE: 19:11
There is some confusion over whether the Divine Liturgy will be allowed at the Sumela Monastery in Trabzon.
In an announcement posted on its official website, the Ecumenical Patriarchate announces that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Turkish authorities did not allow the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy to take place on August 15 at the Panagia Sumela Monastery in Trebizond in Pontus region.
“The Ecumenical Patriarchate informs the interested parties of this, always invoking the grace and the protection of Panagia Sumela.”
However, as reported by skai.gr, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended today the inauguration of Sumela Monastery, where the restoration works of the monastery were completed.
The Turkish president reportedly announced that “this year our Orthodox citizens will be able to hold a service on August 15 at Sumela Monastery, something they could not do because of the works.”
It is noted that the Sumela Monastery opens today after five years of restoration work. The Patriarchal Divine Liturgy on August 15 was not performed last year either due to the restoration works carried out in the historic monastery of Pontus over the past five years.