Orthodox patriarch marks Easter on Turkish island

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, center, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, conducts a Good Friday Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in the island of Gokceada, Turkey, known as Imvros in Greek (Khalil Hamra/AP/PA)

The ecumenical patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, based in Istanbul, fulfilled a 10-year promise to mark Easter on the Turkish island of Gokceada where he was born.

In candle-lit masses held over three days, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I presided over services that brought together Orthodox Christian believers from the Aegean island and abroad.