Turkish Authorities Ban Christian Liturgy in Panagia Sumela Monastery

The doors of the Sumela Monastery reopened in June 2010, after 88 years. The Turkish government had given permission to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to have a patriarchal liturgy for the Feast of the Assumption every year. That permission has been suddenly revoked.

That the Greek Orthodox need special permission to celebrate divine services in any of their churches in what is now Turkey is a dark reminder of Islamic oppression of Eastern Christians from the mid-7th century, and especially from 1453 through the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

From my article, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Assassination Plot in Historical Context:

Ever since the Fall of Constantinople to the Muslim armies in 1453, Christians in what is now Turkey have been reduced to second-class citizens (and persecuted nearly to extinction) through the institution of the dhimma, the contract of protection which subjugates Christians to Muslim rule under humiliating, demeaning terms. 

Under the dhimma, Christians have to pay the exorbitant jizya tax, cannot build new churches, cannot repair existing ones, cannot share their faith outside their church buildings, cannot convert Muslims, etc. One aspect of the dhimma most terrifying is the concept of "collective punishment." If one Christian violates the dhimma contract, Muslims may attack any or all Christians...

Important to keep in mind is the role played not only by the faithful Patriarch Martyrs, but by other clergy and even monastics in the eventual liberation of Greece... Eventually, the Serbs and Bulgarians threw off the Muslim yoke as well. 

It was this series of humiliating defeats during the nineteenth century, and losses in the Balkan Wars of the early twentieth century, which enraged the Turkish Muslims, who turned on the weakest elements of their Christian population, precipitating their infamous genocide against the Christians of Armenia, Greece, Pontus, and Syria, massacring over 3.6 million men, women and children (some dying from starvation, disease and the forced deportations) from 1894 to 1922. 

Sporadic persecutions against remaining Christians extended well into the 1950s, perhaps the worst example being the Istanbul Pogroms of 1955, which dealt a crushing blow to the Orthodox Christian community in Turkey. 

The Greek population of Turkey had already been reduced to about 120,000 in 1927 (following the main period of the Orthodox Christian Genocide); by 1978 it had collapsed to only 7,000. According to the Human Rights Watch, by 2006 there were only 2500 Greeks in Turkey.

Chicago's Greek Orthodox Diocese Calls for Genocide Recognition for Middle East Christians

This is an important development, which will hopefully lead to similar statements from all Orthodox jurisdictions in North America. 

by Gregory Pappas, The Pappas Post, November 28, 2015

ISIS and other extremist movements across the Middle East are enslaving, killing and uprooting ancient Christian communities, with practically no end in sight until the last communities are extinguished. The Western governments have been paralyzed, dealing with other issues on their doorstep like the massive refugee crisis, the growing conflict between Russia and Turkey and domestic terror threats like the recent Paris attacks.

There hasn't been much said or expected of governments up to now but the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago has taken a stand, asking for the United Nations to recognize the events as an official genocide of the Christian population of the Middle East.

The Metropolis of Chicago, which covers almost 60 parishes throughout the Midwest and claims over a quarter of a million faithful, held it's Biannual Clergy Laity Assembly in Madison, Wisconsin, from November 14th -- 18th.

Led by Metropolitan Iakovos and Bishop Demetrios, approximately 400 clergy and parishioners from parishes throughout the region gathered to hear from a wide range of speakers addressing numerous subjects of interest to Greek Orthodox Christian followers.

One such speaker was Bassel Korkor, a Syrian American attorney who serves as United States Counsel to the Syrian Coalition's Washington and United Nations offices. He advises the Coalition on various legal and policy issues, including sanctions compliance, economic development, and diplomatic matters.

His presentation entitled "Contemporary Martyrs of the Middle East" educated the gathering as to the current conditions in Syria and throughout the Middle East, especially concerning the status of the significant and diverse historical Christian population.

Following Mr. Korkor's presentation, looking for a way to bring assistance in the protection of the Christian population of the Middle East currently subject to numerous documented examples of Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide, a proposal for the need for action by the Clergy Laity Assembly was introduced by Father Mark Munoz of Rochelle, Minnesota.

The result was the following Resolution, written by Metropolis of Chicago Council Member John C. Ackerman of Peoria, Illinois, and edited by Father David Bissias of Hammond, Indiana and Bishop Demetrios.

This Resolution received unanimous support and will soon be mailed to the President of the United States as well as each and every United States Senator and Representative within the jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Chicago.