At the kind invitation of Turkish Airlines and Caravan Travel, four hierarchs of the Standing Conference of Oriental Orthodox Churches (SCOOCh) took part in a special pilgrimage to Turkiye from November 8-15, 2025, following the route of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Revelation 2–3). His Eminence Archbishop Mor Dionysius John Kawak of the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of the Eastern United States, His Eminence Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldo of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church, His Eminence Archbishop Petros of the Ethiopian Orthodox Archdiocese of New York, and His Grace Bishop Sinoda of the Eritrean Orthodox Diocese of North America took part in the pigrimage. The bishops were accompanied on their journey by the V. Rev. Fr. Joseph Chamoun of the Syriac Archdiocese and the V. Rev. Fr. Ghebremichael Yohannes of the Eritrean Diocese. Together, the assembled hierarchs prayed and reflected at the ancient cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, at the House of the Virgin Mary, and at other holy places connected to the first generations of believers. As mentioned in a previous article on this site, they also made a brotherly visit to His Eminence Archbishop Mor Philoxenus Yusuf Çetin, Patriarchal Vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Community of Istanbul and Ankara at the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Tarlabasi, Istanbul.
At the end of the pilgrimage, the quartet of hierarchs also visited Cappadocia, discovering its valleys, early Christian cave churches, and rich spiritual heritage, offering prayers of thanksgiving for all the blessings of this journey. Glory to Jesus Christ, the four bishops and the reverend fathers accompanying them have all returned home safely from their travels.