NEWS

NEWS Statement on Kariye by Patriarch Bartholomew: We are praying patiently

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew commented on the transformation of also Kariye into a mosque after Hagia Sophia. Bartholomew said, "The administrators made these decisions in a hurry as if the mosques in cities are not enough, and as if there is a need for many places of worship for the believers of the majority religion."
NEWS The Third Conversion of Hagia Sophia

Today, the city is being conquered again. But from whom? There are no more Orthodox left – although the few remaining are still persecuted and victimized by the state...
NEWS Coronavirus antibody test for truth tracking

We do not know the true scale of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey and the world. When will it be safe to reopen schools, go back to work and daily life again? What if you already had the infection without symptoms, recovered and now immune? Widespread antibody blood testing can help answer these questions and should be developed and made broadly available, together with the current tests that detect the virus.
NEWS Embracing veganism and animal sentience: the long view on Coronavirus outbreak

The current outbreak by the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV is not the first, and will not be the last microbe that jumped from animals to humans, because we continue to eat animals as food and invade their natural territory. A good way to reduce infectious outbreaks from animals is veganism, stopping wildlife trade, human consumption of animal products, and importantly, recognizing animal sentience. Article 13 of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 recognized animal sentience in Europe. We should follow suit because we are less likely to eat animals, colonize wildlife habitats and be exposed to animal pathogens, once we accept animal sentience and agency.