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TRABZON, Turkey — Yesterday evening, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided at the Great Vespers for the Dormition of the Theotokos at the Santa Maria Catholic Church in Trabzon.

In his homily, His All-Holiness highlighted not only the meaningful meeting point of different cultures and faiths in Trabzon, but also the unifying love of the Theotokos herself, drawing upon Orthodox iconography and a legend dating back to the 5th century.