The Archbishop of Izmir hopes that the dialogue advances
Although Christianity has a tradition of almost 2,000 years in Turkey, after several waves of persecution, hardly any Christians live today. The Archbishop of Izmir, Msgr. Martin Kmetec, describes the current situation in Turkey in an interview with the international foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Kmetec, born in Slovenia, belongs to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. He worked in Lebanon for almost eleven years and has lived in Turkey since 2001. In 2020, Pope Francis appointed him Archbishop of Izmir, in the west of the country. The interview was conducted by Volker Niggewöhner.
Christianity in Turkey has a great history. Before the First World War, About 30% of Christians lived in the territory of the former Ottoman Empire. Currently, the percentage of Christians in Turkey is estimated at 0.2%. How many Catholics are there in your Archdiocese of Izmir and where do they live?
I estimate that there are about 5,000 Catholics in my archdiocese. If immigrants and refugees are added, there may be a few more. They live mainly in the center of Izmir or in other big cities. We have parishes in Konya, also in Antalya and in other cities on the coast. Our archdiocese is very large in terms of area, its territory is about 100,000 square kilometers. The last parish that belongs to us is Ikonium, about 550 kilometers from Izmir; in the south is Antalya, about 450 kilometers away. That’s how great the distances are.
Can they freely proclaim the faith?
As a Franciscan, my first priority is the testimony of life, the fraternal life. Saint Francis said: If there is a way to preach the word, then you can preach. We are trying to do this, for example, on social networks and on the new website of the diocese.
We try to be present and be a living Church. Our mission is an open door Church mission. For this reason, we have hours in which all our churches are open. Sometimes there is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and there is always someone to greet visitors and provide information if they have questions. This is our way of evangelizing in this situation.
Previously secular Turkey is experiencing an Islamic revival. Are Christians discriminated against?
I would not say that Christians are expressly discriminated against. But there are negative experiences in dealing with authorities and administrations. The Catholic Church is not recognized as a legal entity.
But if we think about dialogue, I would say that there is a dialogue of life. If I think of Caritas, for example: Caritas is part of the Church, part of our diocese. There is an office in each diocese. And help everyone, Christians, Muslims and all who are defenseless. We also have meetings with the imams in our area, for example, on “Fraternity Day”.
Some priests and I visited the mayor of the city and gave him a gift on that occasion: the Turkish translation of the encyclical “Fratelli tutti” of Pope Francis. The encyclical “Laudato si'”, which deals with the ecological problems that affect all humanity, was also translated into Turkish.
Is there an ecumenical dialogue in Turkey?
Relations with the other Christian Churches are generally good. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, for example, maintains good contacts with the Focolare movement and with the new Apostolic Vicar of Istanbul, Msgr. Massimiliano Palinuro.
Here in Izmir we meet Orthodox Christians, but also Anglican Christians, on various Christian holidays. Recently, the Armenian priests celebrated an Armenian liturgy in our St. Polycarp Catholic Church, because they do not have their own church in Izmir. Also, together with the Armenians in Izmir, we have opened a small shop for the Bible Society to sell books. So there are good signs of ecumenical dialogue.
Turkey is a very popular vacation destination. How important is it that Christians who travel to Turkey also visit Christian churches?
Very important. I would like to remind tourists that the origins of our faith are here. The first Church among the nations was born here. The first ecumenical councils that shaped the Catholic faith took place in present-day Turkey. From here the mission to Europe departed.
We have a German priest to support the pastoral care here, who looks after the Catholics from Germany who live here. I would be glad if we could find another priest for other parishes, at least in summer for tourists. But that is also a financial problem. Perhaps the European Council of Episcopal Conferences could help us.
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