Turkish Christians see hope in Christian lawyer’s election to parliament

(June 15, 2011) In Turkey, one year after the murder of Bishop Luigi Padovese, Turkish Christians are welcoming the election of a Christian lawyer to parliament, as a sign of hope of greater tolerance in the majority Muslim nation. “The election of a Syriac Christian Erol Dora is really a good sign for the country,” said Fr. Lorenzo Pieretto of the Apostolic Vicariate of Istanbul. He said “As a lawyer, Dora is known for often defending the Christians involved in trials and is a point of reference for the defense of their rights. There are other Christians in city councils, but a Christian in the national parliament has not been seen for several decades”, the priest remarked.
Lawyer Dora told the Catholic news agency - FIDES that he hopes to become the voice of the Christian community in Turkey, as well as of all other ethnicities living in the region.”