Source: World Watch Monitor, February 24, 2016
The local government of the northwestern Turkish city of Bursa ordered that its only church, which serves four congregations, be vacated by Friday [February 26], before rescinding the order on Tuesday.
Ismail Kulakcioglu, the pastor of the Protestant congregation, said they were given less than a week to vacate the building. Approximately 200 Christians share the church for their Sunday worship services.
Four different branches of Christianity congregate in the building, officially known as the French Church Cultural Centre. They include Latin Catholic, German Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant fellowships. Under Turkish law, non-Muslim faith communities face significant legal hurdles in registering an officially sanctioned house of worship. Multiple congregations often share the same space.
The church remains a symbol of the city’s non-Muslims’ struggle to become an accepted part of society. Kulakciolgu said he had tried to convince the council that Bursa would lose a priceless piece of its cultural heritage if the congregations were forced out of their building.
“We’re trying to explain that this church—which is used as a house of worship by different congregations—is perhaps the only example of its kind in the world,” he said.