The US Greek Orthodox Church stated it’s going to go to the UN to make sure Turkey protects the church’s cultural heritage, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan transformed the landmark Hagia Sophia web site from a museum right into a mosque.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America instructed AP on Tuesday that it could contact UN rapporteurs and try to carry Ankara accountable “for its deliberate insurance policies to erase the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christians.”
The Turkish president issued a decree in July changing the Hagia Sophia again right into a mosque. As soon as a Byzantine cathedral, it was repurposed as a mosque below Ottoman rule, after which a museum in 1934 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s secular authorities.
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Erdogan himself attended inaugural prayers on the newly-minted mosque, and final month introduced the conversion of one other Orthodox church – the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora – right into a Muslim home of prayer.
“Turkey is in violation of its obligations below worldwide legislation to protect cultural heritage and to respect the political, cultural and non secular freedoms of Orthodox Christians in Turkey and overseas,” Archdiocese of America counsel Christina Hioureas instructed AP.
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‘A slap within the face of all Christianity worldwide’: Conversion of Hagia Sophia into mosque infuriates Russian Orthodox Church
Erdogan has promised to maintain the Hagia Sophia open as a museum outdoors of worship hours, however the transfer nonetheless generated condemnation from non secular and secular authorities worldwide. The UN stated it was “disenchanted” within the Turkish chief, whereas EU and US leaders urged him to not go forward with the transfer.
Russian Orthodox bishop Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk described the transfer as “a slap within the face” of Christians worldwide.
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