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WTO for Divine Liturgy at Panagia Soumela: "Silence is not neutrality"translated

August 16, 2026 · 1 min read

With strong criticism of the Greek Government for its attitude, the Panpontian Federation of Greece (POE) stands for the non-celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the historic Holy Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Pontus during this year's Fifteenth of August. In its announcement yesterday, on the day of the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin, the WTO underlines the special importance of the day for Pontic Hellenism, noting that in the face of the Virgin Mary "the face of the Pontian Mother is embodied", but also of every mother who sympathizes with the pain of her children.

However, as the Federation points out, for another year the Divine Liturgy was not held at the Holy Monastery of Panagia Sumela on Mount Mela, in Matsouka, Trabzon, attributing the responsibility to the Turkish authorities.

The WTO speaks of "further escalation of Turkish challenges" towards the religious sentiment of the Pontic Greeks and the Greek people more broadly, while it also focuses its attention on the attitude of the Greek government.

"The constant question for us is the attitude of the Greek Government, which once again keeps a fishy silence", he says, raising questions about the reasons that, as he claims,...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency  ·  Read the full story →
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💬 Comments (3) 🌐 Show original
Л
Любовь Морозова
It’s a pity that we were not allowed to serve the Liturgy in Sumela again. For the Pontians this place is special, like home. But our government is silent - this is really offensive.
A
Aleksandar Stojanović
It's a pity that they didn't allow the Liturgy in Sumela again. For the Pontians, that place is like home, and the Turks tighten up every year. Our government is silent again, just like POE says, that's what hurts the most.
Г
Георгий Иванов
It’s a pity that the Liturgy in Syumel was not allowed again. For the Pontians, this is truly like a home, especially in Uspenie. And our government is silent - this, as POE writes, is what hurts the most.
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