Pope Francis said on Sunday he was “hurt” by Turkey’s decision to make Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum a mosque, the latest religious leader to condemn the move.
“I AM VERY PAINED”
“My thoughts go to Istanbul. I think of Santa Sophia and I am very pained,” he said during his weekly blessing in St. Peter’s Square.
A top Turkish court on Friday had annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree which turned Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use again as a mosque after an 85-year hiatus. After completing all preparations, Turkey will open Hagia Sophia for worship on July 24 at Friday prayer.
TURKEY ASSURED THE COMPLEX WOULD BE PRESERVED
Greece has condemned the move and claimed Turkey’s decision raised questions about the impact on its universal value.
Senior Turkish official on Saturday stressed that the religious iconography in the sixth-century complex would be preserved.
Questioning why the former museum was “turned into a museum in the first place,” presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin underlined that its religious icons would remain “untouched” for the viewing of people of all faiths.