Population: 84 million
Official language: Turkish
Form of government: presidential system. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been president since 2014.
Population: 84 million
Official language: Turkish
Form of government: presidential system. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been president since 2014.
Turkey is home to approximately 100,000 Christians out of a population of 84 million, the vast majority of whom are Sunni Muslims. Within this Christian minority, legal statuses vary: Turkish citizens of Armenian or Greek origin enjoy rights recognized by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, including the right to administer their own schools and patriarchates. The Chaldeans, on the other hand, do not enjoy the same guarantees, even though their numbers are growing due to the arrival of Iraqi Christians in transit to Europe or the United States. In addition to these groups are the descendants of Latin Christians who have remained Catholic, as well as expatriates. During his visit to Turkey in 2014, Pope Francis reminded President Erdogan of the need to ensure religious freedom by guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens, regardless of their faith.
L'Œuvre d'Orient provides aid to refugees in Turkey—primarily Chaldeans from Mosul—through Bishop François Yakan, the Chaldean Patriarchal Administrator of Diarbekir. It supports the geriatric care home and the Hospital of Peace run by the Daughters of Charity in Istanbul, as well as numerous social welfare projects—primarily in Istanbul and Izmir—and schools.
