The Ecumenical Patriarch and the Greek state both sent complaints to Turkey in the wake of footage showing a DJ playing electronic music at the historic UNESCO-listed Monastery of Panagia Sumela. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew described the incident as an insult, and said that holding the event was “incompatible” with the monastery’s “religious character and its history.” Greece added that the move adds to “a series of actions by Turkish authorities against World Heritage Sites.” Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou joins our host Thanos Davelis to discuss why this latest incident at Sumela monastery is significant and how it fits into a broader pattern of disrespect, destruction, and appropriation of minority cultural heritage by Turkey.

Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou is an internationally recognized leader on issues of religion and human rights, and a previous Vice Chair and Commissioner on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. Dr. Prodromou is also a faculty member at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she directs the Initiative on Religion, Law, and Diplomacy. 

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Greece protests to Turkey over disco band at Sumela monastery

Patriarch protests to Ankara over DJ performance at Sumela monastery

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