Church in Samsun hosts iftar dinner

A Catholic church in the Black Sea province of Samsun has an iftar event on April 22, with the priest reading the Ramadan message of Pope Francis.

"The more we, people from different religions, live together in peace, the more we will be protecting the human dignity," said Marcelo Cisneros, the priest of Mater Dolorosa Church.

"The month of Ramadan is a period when the Muslims should be respected," the priest added.

Among the guests at the iftar dinner were the inhabitants of the Ulugazi neighborhood. After the meal, Cisneros read Pope Francis' Ramadan message.

"Dear Muslim brothers and sisters, As the love of God hugs every human being and the entire universe, we wish that all our neighbors and friends continue to share their joy and sadness with each other," Pope said in the message.

"As a sign of our spiritual brotherhood, I wish you a peaceful and fruitful Ramadan," Pope added.

The church was built by Capuchin Monks in 1846 to serve Samsun's catholic people and Rome Catholic Church.

Italian Capuchin Monks living in Georgia were under a lot of pressure from the community due to their religion. Therefore, they had to leave their country and set off in order to experience a new life, a new beginning. During their journey, they came across other expatriate persons who were Latin Catholics. At the end of their travel, these people settled in Samsun and built a wooden church named Mater Dolorasa in 1846 in order to worship freely.

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