Phanar organizing Ukrainian-language services in Turkey’s Izmir
The Church of the Holy Great Martyr Photini. Photo: Facebook
On January 19, 2026, it became known that in Turkey’s Izmir the Constantinople Patriarchate initiated the celebration of regular services in the Ukrainian language, the Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul reported.
According to the published information, the services are presented as a form of spiritual support for the Ukrainian diaspora living in the region. The liturgies are expected to be served on a regular basis – once a month, on the third or fourth Sunday.
As the statement notes, the services will be celebrated with the blessing of Metropolitan Bartholomew of Smyrna at the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Photini.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the Constantinople Patriarch threatened his critics with Judgment Day.
Read also
TRC abducts monk of Myltsi Monastery of UOC
The monastery resident Father Vlasiy was mobilized and sent to a training center after being detained while working near the monastery walls.
Expertise finds no incitement by Epifaniy against Metropolitan Theodosiy
Forensic linguist Vadym Zhuravel called the attacks by the head of the OCU evaluative judgments and refused to recognize them as slander against the UOC hierarch.
A third of Anglican bishops ignore enthronement of female Archbishop
16 out of 42 primates of Anglican provinces did not participate in the ceremony in Canterbury.
TRC and SBU abduct two monks from UOC monastery in Izium
Law enforcement officers took away and are holding at the TRC Archimandrite Leontiy and Hieromonk Arseniy from the Peschansk Monastery.
Heads of Churches in Jerusalem call for peace in Paschal Message
The Patriarch of Jerusalem and other religious leaders of the Holy Land have sent words of encouragement to the faithful and called for an end to bloodshed before Pascha.
In Thessaloniki, clerics convicted for forging Phanar seals and fraud
Two clerics were convicted of fraud amounting to 1.5 million euros and forging documents with Phanar seals to "promote" a candidate for a diocese.