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Turkish police officers stand in a cordoned off area in front of the Santa Maria Church in Istanbul

Photo: Emrah Gurel/dpa

Two masked men attacked a Catholic church in Istanbul on Sunday and shot a person dead. The two attacked a participant in the service with a pistol, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the X platform (formerly Twitter). "We condemn this heinous attack in the strongest possible terms," ​​he said.

There is also a video on X that shows an ambulance and several police officers in front of the church.

The background to the incident was initially unclear. The attackers fled and a large-scale manhunt was underway, said a spokesman for the ruling AKP party.

Pope expresses sympathy

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu expressed his condolences and support to reporters. »There are no minorities in this city or in this country. We are all real citizens,” he said.

Pope Francis also commented: "I express my condolences to the congregation of the Church of St. Maria Draperis in Istanbul," he said during the Angelus prayer on Sunday, according to the news portal "Vatican News."

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said his ministry was monitoring the situation together with the Italian embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul. "I express my condolences and condemn in the strongest terms the heinous attack on the church of Santa Maria," Tajani wrote on X. He added: "I am sure that the Turkish authorities will arrest those responsible."

In December, Turkish security forces arrested 32 suspected supporters of the Islamic State jihadist militia on suspicion of planning attacks on synagogues, churches and the Iraqi embassy in Turkey.

According to Vatican News, Sunday's attack occurred during the service of Italian Bishop Massimiliano Palinuro, Vicar Apostolic of Istanbul. According to the news portal, the Church of Santa Maria Draperis is entrusted to the Franciscan Order and is located in the Sariyer district in the European part of Istanbul.

Turkey is more than 99 percent Muslim. According to the state news agency Anadolu, more than 180,000 Christians still live in the country.

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