Turkey's First Church After 90 Years To Be Built

At last, Turkey's government has authorized the construction of a new church in Turkey. After 1923, this will be its first non-Muslim shrine that begins from scratch. The government has agreed to give some land for a new Christian church for the Syriac community, says the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, in Istanbul on Friday, in a meeting with non-Muslim groups' representatives, according to rt.com.

The church is expected to come up in Yesilkoy, Istanbul suburb, near the Marmara Sea. However, the area has already built temples for Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic churches.

"It is the first since the creation of the republic," a government official told AFP. "Churches have been restored and reopened to the public, but no new church has been built until now."

The funding for the building will be given by the Syriac group, not the government. These groups are ethnic and religious minorities, less than 20,000 and mostly limited to the southeast area of the country. They attend either the Orthodox or Catholic churches. Most of the immigrants from Iraq and Syria have increased their strength.

In the population of 75 million, just one percent is non-Muslim. Since 1923, new churches have not been built here. In a secular country, the ruling party comes in for criticism, but the Turkish government has changed its attitude towards the religious minorities. In order to follow some of the European Union values, it has returned some of the property, such as the Mor Gabriel Monastery in Mardin to the Syriac community.

Although Christians and other religious minorities are allowed to follow their own religion, they face limitations. The Orthodox Church is not allowed to train its priests, while foreign clerics find it tough to get work permits.

"We do not consider any religious or cultural tradition as an outsider," Davutoglu was quoted by the Daily Sabah. The Prime Minister added that the government accorded equal respect to everyone.

In a recent visit to Turkey, Pope Francis urged for an end to "Christianophobia" and the violence against Christians in Syria and Iraq.

Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople called for "constructive dialogue" with Islam "based on mutual respect and friendship."