Beşiktaş Municipality Participates in Christmas Visits

During the Christmas season, Beşiktaş Municipality marked the occasion by emphasizing the importance of coming together around shared values, in a land where communities of different faiths have lived side by side in peace for centuries. The period offered a meaningful opportunity to reaffirm Türkiye’s long-standing tradition of coexistence, mutual respect, and interfaith dialogue, which continues to form a cornerstone of its social and cultural life.

Within the scope of the Christmas programme, Beşiktaş Deputy Mayor Rasim Şişman held meetings with leading figures of various Christian denominations in Istanbul. Those in attendance included Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I; Teodora Diakrusi, Chair of the Foundation of the Arnavutköy Aya Strati Taxiarchis Greek Orthodox Church; Chorepiscopus Orhan Çanlı, Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Catholic Church; Archbishop Sabri Anar, Spiritual Leader of the Chaldean Catholic Community in Türkiye; Monsignor Vartan Kirakos Kazancıyan, Spiritual Leader of the Armenian Catholic Community in Türkiye; and Mor Philoxinos Yusuf Çetin, Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The meetings underscored the shared understanding that cultural and religious diversity constitutes a collective richness, while common values such as peace, solidarity, and mutual understanding continue to serve as a unifying force for society. Emphasis was placed on the importance of sustaining interfaith dialogue and strengthening social cohesion, particularly in a global context where harmony and tolerance face increasing challenges.

The visits concluded with expressions of appreciation for the warm hospitality extended by the host institutions, along with best wishes conveyed to Christian communities on the occasion of Christmas. It was expressed that the Christmas holiday would bring peace, hope, and fraternity—not only to believers, but to society as a whole.