As world attention has been fixed on the buildup towards, and, now, tragic invasion of Ukraine perpetrated by Russia’s authoritarian militarist regime, Turkey’s authoritarian militarist regime has continued to violate international standards of religious freedom by desecrating the cultural heritage of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: Turkish authorities authorized the filming of a commercial with disco dancing at the Patriarchal Monastery of Panagia Sumela, part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s historic patrimony that is under consideration by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Each year on August 15 the service for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary is celebrated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at this location.
Below is a recent podcast on the episode of Sumela Monastery and a video clip of this commercial: