All colors gather in Turkey to pay final respects to Vatican official

mr.jpgGeorges Marovitch who lost his life in a hospital last week at the age of 81 were buried after funeral ceremony which was held in İstanbul’s St. Esprit Church.

 GÖKSEL GENÇ, İSTANBUL
Leaders and representatives of Turkey’s various religious communities on Saturday attended the funeral of Monsignor Georges Marovitch, a former Vatican diplomatic official in Turkey, who passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 81.

Roman Catholic Bishop Louis-Armel Pelâtre, the apostolic vicar of Ä°stanbul, as well as Turkey’s Syriac Catholic Deputy Patriarch Yusuf SaÄŸ, Turkey’s Armenian Deputy Patriarch Aram AtaÅŸyan, ÅžiÅŸli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül and many other prominent figures attended the funeral.

Marovitch was buried in the Feriköy Roman Catholic Cemetery after the funeral, which was held at ÅžiÅŸli Saint Esprit Church. The ceremony was officiated by Pelâtre. Marovitch’s life accomplishments were enumerated while hymns were sung.

Ä°stanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir TopbaÅŸ said he met Marovitch when current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan was mayor of Ä°stanbul. As a humanist, Marovitch supported the idea of an alliance of civilizations in a real sense, TopbaÅŸ told the press after the funeral.

“He worked for reconciliation and unity between people. He loved Turkey and İstanbul,” Topbaş added.

Harun Tokak, former president of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV), praised the role Marovitch played in making the world a more meaningful place. “He was a wise person. His work for building peace and brotherhood among human beings was valuable and deserves praise,” he said.
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