Commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Istanbul bombings

St Helena's Chapel, Istanbul
The parish of Christ Church with St Helena's in Istanbul yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the bombings at the British Consulate General which killed dozens of people including the Consul General, Roger Short. The Chaplain of Christ Church, the Revd Canon Ian Sherwood, informed me that the UK Foreign Minister, William Hague, read the lesson at Morning Prayer and that the Consulate staff hosted an excellent gathering where the Turkish Foreign Minister and Mr Hague spoke. Many family members of those who died attended the events. Fr Ian also attended the mosque with some consular staff members who are Muslim.

 The terrorist attack on 20 November 2003 was the worst ever experienced against a British diplomatic mission. St Helena's Chapel is one of the historic consular buildings. 

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