Ecumenical Patriarch: Our omogeneia received a big blow today

“Our Diaspora received a big blow today. One of its most important charities, in which our elderly brothers found care and warmth, suffered considerable damage from a devastating fire” stressed the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the occasion of the catastrophic fire in the building of the Nursing Home in Valoukli.

The images reported by Anadolu Agency show the flames growing overwhelmingly before they were finally brought under control, almost two hours after the fire broke out; it had broken out at about 12.30pm.

The Mayor of Constantinople, Ekrem Imamoglu, visited the scene, while the 102 patients and elderly people who had to be moved away from the burning building to other hospitals were not harmed by the fire.

Read the statement of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

“Our Diaspora received a big blow today. One of its most important charities, in which our elderly brothers found care and warmth, suffered considerable damage from a devastating fire.

We praise God for the fact that we did not have any victims, and we thank the state and local authorities and fire brigade executives, the workers in the nursing home and the nearby hospital, as well as all those who voluntarily helped.

What matters is human life. Buildings, facilities, and material things can be restored. We feel pain for what happened, but we will overcome this ordeal as well.

Once again, we thank from our hearts all those who have helped in this difficult time and all those who are ready to assist us in repairing the damage.

We are touched by their interest, and especially by their participation in every way in dealing with this critical situation. We thank them for being on our side.

God bless them.”

Source: orthodoxtimes.com