Christmas masses held in Turkey

Christmas masses in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ were held in Turkey's different cities on Saturday.

One of the masses was in Istanbul's largest Catholic Church of Sant'Antonio di Padova, located in Istiklal Street near Taksim square.

Another mass in Istanbul was held in the Patriarchal Cathedral Church of St. George in Phanar. The mass was attended by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

In the western border city of Edirne, a mass for Christmas was held in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of Sveti Georgi, attended by many Bulgarian and Greek nationals.

In the southern city of Mersin, people gathered in the Greek Orthodox Church in the downtown district for prayers.

In the southern border province of Hatay, masses in Orthodox and Catholic churches in the cities of Iskenderun and Antakya were held.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu extended Christmas greetings to Christians in Turkey and across the world.