From the church in need
Munich – Friday, March 22, 2024, 9:00 a.m.
In an interview with the global Catholic relief organization ACN, the Archbishop of Izmir, Martin Kmetec, called for greater attention to be paid to the rights of the Christian minority in Turkey: “I think that from a historical perspective we have every right in Turkey to be. We don’t work against anyone. I have often heard that if there were more Christians in Turkey, it would be a more diverse country. We are working positively to be present.” Kmetec is a Franciscan and has been leading the Archdiocese of Izmir in southwest Turkey since 2020.
One of his early Christian predecessors was Saint Polycarp, who was martyred in the mid-2nd century. The holy Doctor of the Church Irenaeus of Lyon also comes from Izmir. “We are the last surviving church mentioned in the biblical book of Revelation,” the archbishop said.
The references, which go back far into history, make it clear: Christianity in Turkey is old, but its glory days are over. Today, a maximum of 6,000 Christians still live in the Archdiocese of Izmir, which is slightly larger than Portugal, and there are no more than 170,000 in Turkey as a whole. “We are proud that we are still here,” emphasized the archbishop.
“Trying to stay”
He is concerned about the emigration of the so-called “Levantines,” descendants of Italian, French and other European immigrants who made up the majority of the Christian community. “I say: try to stay. Try to do something good for your country. We do not encourage anyone to leave the country because we need the community,” said Kmetec, explaining the position of the Catholic Church. In recent years, Catholics from Africa and Asia have been immigrating again, mostly refugees.
In his episcopal city of Izmir, he sees Catholics as socially integrated, and there are also good relations with the Muslim clergy, the archbishop emphasized. “But on the other hand, as the Catholic Church, we have no real relationship with the government because we are not legally recognized.”
“We want to exist in a way that corresponds to human existence”
This creates difficulties with property rights or the organization of humanitarian aid. Because of the small number, the Christian community is often not taken seriously as a dialogue partner, the archbishop indicated: “They ask us: How many are you? But we see everywhere in modern society that minorities are demanding their rights. We just want to exist in a way that is consistent with every human existence.”
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In everyday life, he personally perceives “no general threat”. However, it also depends on the region and the cultural level as to whether people are intolerant towards Christians. “Many people, however, viewed Christians as foreigners,” Archbishop Kmetec said.
A Church in Need supports the repair of churches in the Archdiocese of Izmir that were damaged by an earthquake in 2020. Among them is the Church of Saint Polycarp, the heart of the Christian community in Izmir. In addition, “Church in Need” supports emergency aid for Christian refugees, the training of priests and the provision of catechetical materials.
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