Religious service restrictions at Sumela Monastery

For the third consecutive year, Turkish authorities denied permission for the Divine Liturgy for the Dormition of the Mother of God to be held at the Panagia Sumela Monastery in Trabzon on August 15. This decision was reportedly influenced by nationalist concerns regarding the anniversary of the Fall of Trebizond in 1461.

To mitigate tensions, authorities permitted a service to take place on August 23, the date the Church observes the feast. However, the August 23 service is subject to significant restrictions, including a media ban that prohibits journalists and international correspondents from providing television or photographic coverage of the interior. Access to the monastery's interior is limited to an approved list of guests for security reasons, and the site remains closed to the general public and tourists until the afternoon.

Local opposition has emerged, with Coşkun Dilber, president of the Trabzon branch of Türkiye Kamu-Sen, arguing that the monastery is officially registered as a museum rather than a church and calling for the permit to be revoked. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will not preside over the Sumela service, instead leading a liturgy at the ruins of the Holy Monastery of Panagia Faneromeni in Artaki, Kyzikos.