‘My name was Erkan. I became Savvas’

The Greek diaspora telephone them “neophytes.” They are not conscionable 1 oregon two – they are dozens, and successful caller years their numbers person been increasing. They are the caller faces appearing successful the Orthodox Christian churches of Istanbul. People surviving successful Turkey, from antithetic spiritual and taste backgrounds, person decided to person to Christianity.

The whole process begins with the submission of an application. Applications are examined by a special committee of the Church, which evaluates the sincerity, maturity, and motivations of the candidates. This pastoral attraction aims to guarantee that the determination to articulation the Orthodox Church is simply a conscious and escaped prime of faith.

After approval, the candidates are included successful a catechism program, which is carried retired under the spiritual guidance of the Church. Catechism lasts from six to 12 months, depending connected the idiosyncratic way and spiritual readiness of each candidate. During its duration, candidates are taught the basal truths of the Orthodox faith, liturgical beingness and religion tradition. The culmination of this way is the baptism.

Forty-five-year-old Savvas talks to Kathimerini astir his ain path: “Until 8 years ago, I was a Muslim, but I had nary transportation with religion, nor immoderate peculiar interaction with the Christian faith. One Friday nighttime I had a dream. I woke up afloat of anxiousness and told my wife astir it. Then she told maine that there was a religion successful Neochori (Yenikoy), connected the Bosphorus, and that I should spell and airy a candle. There I met Mr. Lakis Vigas, who was successful complaint of the community.”

“Later I decided to take the adjacent step. There was a play of astir a year for catechism. After everything went arsenic expected and I was ready, I was baptized. My sanction was Erkan. I became Savvas,” helium says.

My wife did not take the aforesaid step with me. My children, Theodoros and Aris, were baptized. I americium peculiarly blessed to rise my children with this civilization and religion. When my son, Aris, 4.5 years old, says to me, “Happy Lent,” I americium very happy. Theodoros is 7 years aged and they spell to schoolhouse successful [Greek assemblage school] Zappeion. There were difficulties successful enrolling them, but we managed. I will unrecorded and dice here. I think everything happened due to the fact that the Virgin Mary came, took maine by the manus and brought maine here. We are a family.”

A snapshot from Savvas’ baptism. It each started years ago, when helium had a imagination that was to alteration his life. Today, his two sons, Aris, 4, and Theodore, 7, person besides been baptized Christians.

Shortly aft his baptism, we met Nikolaos: “That’s my sanction now. Before, they called maine Sahab. Some radical of my grandmother’s household had Greek roots, but they didn’t spell to religion often. When I grew up, I wanted to and decided to determination guardant to go a Christian. I was a Muslim, but lone connected paper. Now I’m happy. To marque the decision, I had to stand connected my ain two feet, not beryllium connected anyone and unrecorded the way I wanted. Then I went to the religion of my ain escaped will and asked for help. I did two years of catechism. I person friends with maine from each implicit Turkey. I didn’t sleep for 5 days due to the fact that of my anxiousness and present my joyousness is great,” helium tells Kathimerini.

Godmother from Ioannina

Nikolaos’ godmother is Charoula Paroutiadi, who came from Ioannina, northwestern Greece. She explains to us however they met Nikolaos when helium was small done his uncle: “He decided to beryllium baptized and I came to beryllium his godmother.”

After baptism, the recently converted enactment actively successful religion beingness and Greek Orthodox traditions. They be religion regularly and go portion of the parish community. Some person adjacent chosen to give themselves afloat to monastic life, moving to Mount Athos arsenic novice monks. At the aforesaid time, some younger converts person decided to study theology astatine Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, wishing to delve deeper into Orthodox theology and service the Church.

We met Daniil, whose erstwhile sanction was Akif. In his childhood, arsenic helium says, they were taught various religions, but when helium grew up helium wanted to travel this path. As did Mehmet, who became Markos and is simply a mechanical engineer: “I was an atheist and I was looking for my path. Then I started wondering what to do. My spouse helped maine find my way and, aft speechmaking a lot, I besides work the Gospel and realized that my father, unwittingly, had raised maine connected the teachings of Christianity. At first, I couldn’t spell to church. Then I applied [to convert], I asked for it. I went done a test. After becoming a Christian, I became calmer. My household knows astir my determination and they didn’t react.”

We besides met a household from Iran. Mohammad is the father, who was baptized with his caller name, Christophoros. His daughter, Anthousa, who besides converted, tells us: “I was very anxious, but present I americium peculiarly blessed and consciousness large restitution that I took this step. My begetter had travel present from Iran crossing the mountains, arsenic helium had been arrested and escaped due to the fact that helium had go a Protestant. Now, aft 8 years successful Turkey, the whole household decided to beryllium baptized Orthodox. It is simply a story of martyrdom that we went done successful Iran, but present we are happily surviving our dream. We unrecorded freely and we are fulfilling our desires.”

Tugce is simply a machine programmer. We met her successful Izmir. She explains however she decided to go a Christian. She is presently attending catechism classes and, when she completes the process, will beryllium baptized and fixed the sanction Rebecca.

“When I was 13, I work the Gospel. My parents were not religious. That’s where I recovered love. When I was 15-16, I had seen various priests successful a religion and said that I would go a Christian. God, Christ, was ever successful my life. I had problems. I mislaid my hubby successful 2022; helium was a conscientious objector. In 2023, when my parent besides died, I mislaid hope. At 1 constituent I was successful a very atrocious state and I thought astir going to church. That’s when something changed wrong me. Before, I had an emptiness wrong me. I learned to emotion God and I started to emotion myself. It’s similar I’ve arrived home. I’ve calmed down. My fiance told maine that I person Christ successful my bosom and that helium respects it. His household gave maine a transverse arsenic a gift. They were very supportive astatine work. Last year they gave maine Easter permission and I worked connected Eid al-Fitr. They respected my wish.”

Language, individuality fears

The erstwhile president of Neochori’s Greek community, Lakis Vigas, says that his acquisition dates backmost to astir 2007, when helium archetypal met a couple, unknown to the community, who participated successful the Sunday work astatine the Church of Panagia Koumariotissa successful Neochori, and continues to enactment to this day, remaining progressive successful assemblage life. Later, others were added, who travel the traditions and religion beingness with respect and love.

The bulk of the converts helium has met are serious, educated people, and their prime is simply a conscious cognition to life. Many times, galore successful the diaspora are surprised by their involvement and level of knowledge, arsenic they work patiently and study with zeal, delving into the Old and New Testaments, arsenic well arsenic the writings of the Fathers of the Church.

Vigas says that connection is the biggest obstacle to liturgical and assemblage life. “We indispensable find solutions so that the Greek connection is not mislaid from our churches. For us, the preservation of the Greek language, particularly within our churches, is indispensable for the continued beingness of the Greek identity.”

Not the solution

Turkey’s Greek diaspora paper “Apogevmatini” expresses a antithetic view successful its editorial: “Today, arsenic our colonisation is decreasing, the pursuing improvement is observed. Turkish Muslims who are baptized are enrolling successful Greek Orthodox number schools. In the caput of each well-intentioned observer, the pursuing question arises. ‘Is this ultimately the λύση to the demographic problem?’ The reply is no. As has been said before, changing religion is simply a cardinal close and priests person the work to validate it. However, the alteration of religion of radical who bash not originate from our number should not entail their contiguous and automatic inclusion successful it.”

And continues: “All the Greek diaspora institutions, arsenic guardians of the Greek Orthodox culture, person the highest work to sphere our parent tongue, our customs, traditions and mores. We indispensable besides support our communal property, which our ancestors – astatine the clip of their formation – hastily transferred to affable hands, so that their hard work will not beryllium stolen, their memories will not beryllium mislaid and their past will not beryllium distorted.”