 31 Gennaio 2020January 2020 Flash News of Antioch
We enter 2020 with the hope that it will be better than the previous one. In Turkey, 2019 was fairly calm inside, but lively in the face of the war in Syria in which it entered heavily. Then the multitude of refugees, we speak of over 4 million, whose coexistence is not easy. We can see it in our city!
However as a Christian I believe that history ultimately directs the Lord and even good things can come from crooked things. It is with this conviction that we begin the new year in Antioch with prayer ...
January 1st. We start 2020 with the Mass at 0.30 with about twenty faithful, despite the cold and rain. In the afternoon still the festive Holy Mass.
January 2. The prefect of Antioch visits our church with a group of friends who have come from Ankara.
January 3. Visit our church Mgr. Paolo Bizzeti with a professor from Florence and three consecrated women (Ordo Virginum) from Milan.
January 5. Today Sunday we celebrate Epiphany with the visit of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to our children. In our church we don't talk about Santa Claus so as not to create confusion in the little ones. Today, however, many Muslims use it despite opposition from Islamic traditionalists.
January 9. From a Turkish TV a long interview on p. Dominic on the different religious realities of Turkey (Turkiyenin mozaigi farkli dinlerin bulusma noktasi).
January 10. In Turkey it is the day of journalists. Today 11,157 are unemployed and, according to the Ministry of Justice, between 2003 and 1920, 12,000 have been tried. The number of imprisoned journalists has reached 91. In 2019 alone, 59 journalists were sentenced for a total of 200 years, 95% are pro-government ... Impressive number! . "(10.01.2020, Sözcü, s.4; Cumhuryet, s.9)
January 11. Visit of a mayor from the region of Istanbul with some collaborators ..
January 12. A Japanese "Buddhist" pilgrim to Jerusalem stays in our reception house for one night ...
January 13. Professor Antonella sends me her comment on the 2019 Antioch Chronicle: "Thanks for the news, really exciting to see how Christians are respected in this city! Certainly thanks to your ability to share with the population, but I also believe in all the work that the Pope has done to activate a fraternal dialogue with people of Muslim faith, which seems to be bearing fruit on both sides. We hope for continuity ... "
January 18. The prefect of Antioch, Rahmi Dogan, accompanies the prefects of Trabzon, Nevsheir and Balikesir to visit our church.
January 21st. Antioch is twinned with the German city of Kiel. The president of the city council of that city, Hans-Wemer Tovar, comes to visit our church.
January 26. Today in Tarsus, Christians from South-West Turkey met to celebrate the "Conversion of St. Paul". From Mersin, Adana, Iskendeun and Antakya, about 262 attended a mass in the church dedicated to the apostle, with Mons. Paul Russel, apostolic nuncio; Mgr Paolo Bizzeti, Apostolic Vicar of Anatolia; Mons. Louis Miguel Munoz Cardaba, "First Counselor" of the Nunciature, pp. Francis and Roshan of Mersin, Darius and Franco of Iskendeun and Fr Domenico of Antioch. Abuna Dimitri and his wife also attended. The sisters of Tarsus (Concetta, Agnese and Maria), Daughters of the Church, prepared the Church-Museum and offered lunch to all present. From Antioch we went 34 with a city bus.
The feast was preceded by two days of formation for the youth (about fifty) of the Vicariate in Mersin with pp. Roshan and Francis, fr. Hanry and young Abdo.
January 27. The provincial of Emilia-Romagna Fr Lorenzo Motti meets the Capuchins of southern Turkey in Mersin (Domenico, Francis, Roshan and Hanry).
- On today's ROMAN OBSERVER there is an article by Fr. Egidio Picucci on the Chronicle of Antioch 2019 that I report in full.
Stories of friendship and faith.
The "Chronicle of Antioch" by Father Domenico
January 28. On the 24th around 9 pm a strong earthquake hit the city of Elagzi (in the center of Turkey). Here too it has been heard, but only slightly. Today a local newspaper recalls that the fault is the one that passes through Antioch, already in several eras hit very hard, and now a very devastating one is in sight. It is urgent to get ready for such an event! It's not good news ...
January 29. Professor Bedri Gencer of the Yıldız University (YTU) of Istanbul, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, connects the earthquake that occurred in Elazig on January 24 with the prohibition of marriages of minors ... Boh !!! (29.01.2020, Sözcü, p.11)
January 30. Four priests from Malaga (Spain) with 3 lay people celebrate in our church. They prepare itineraries for eventual groups of pilgrims in 2020.
January 31. The Brazilian sr. Janete Castro, Combonian, who takes care of the Chaldean refugees in Cappadocia (Kirksehir) was our guest for a few days.
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