Sümela Monastery religious service faces media ban and access restrictions

Turkish authorities have implemented a media ban for the upcoming religious service at the Sümela Monastery in Trabzon, scheduled for August 23. For the first time, journalists and international correspondents will be barred from the interior of the monastery, prohibiting television and photographic coverage of the ceremony.

Access to the monastery's interior during the morning will be strictly limited to an approved list of guests, with authorities citing security reasons. The site will remain closed to the general public and tourists until after 14:00. This decision follows the rejection of a request to hold the service on August 15 for the third consecutive year; instead, the date was moved to August 23.

The move has sparked local tension. Coşkun Dilber, president of the Trabzon branch of Türkiye Kamu-Sen, has voiced opposition to the ceremony, arguing that the Sümela Monastery is officially registered as a museum rather than a church and has called for the permit to be revoked. Meanwhile, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will not attend the Sümela service, as he is scheduled to lead a liturgy at the ruins of the Monastery of Panagia Faneromeni in Artaki, Kyzikos, on the same day.