Archbishop Filuksinos Saliba Özmen is the metropolitan bishop of Mardin and Diyarbakir in Turkey and resides in the famous Deyrulzafaran Monastery in Mardin, which includes the region Tur Abdin, a hilly region in southeast Turkeyon the border with Syria. Since Late Antiquity ist is famous for its Christian monasteries on the border of the Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire. The Tur Abdin is populated by more than 80 villages and nearly 70 monastery buildings and was mostly Syriac Orthodox until the early 20th century. The earliest surviving Christian buildings date from the 6th century. For years the moan tries have been under pressure by Turkish courts, eg tying to take away the land of the monastery More Gabriel or suing priests for nothing.
Schirrmacher has been advocating for the churches in Tur Abdin for two decades. He informed the archbishop, that he is pescially offering prayers for the newest victim, the head of a monetary and priest Sefer Bilecen, who has been sentenced to more than two years of prison, because he offered water to thirsty soldiers, which the government sees to be terrorists. Baleen is on bail awaiting his appeal: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/04/court-case-against-priest-evokes-bitter-memories-turkeys-assyrians
Photos: Thomas Schirrmacher/WEA.
