OXFORD (CNS): “We are a Church deprived of juridical status, so we cannot give any advice on this country’s internal questions,” the Turkish Bishops’ Conference as they said they would not contest plans to turn Istanbul’s ancient Hagia Sophia cathedral—presently a museum—into a mosque.
In announcing their decision June 18, the bishops backed government claims that the monument’s future is a question of national sovereignty.
“Although we would wish Hagia Sophia to retain its character as a museum, it isn’t for us to intervene or even give our opinion on a decision which solely concerns the Republic of Turkey,” the bishops said.
The statement came amid international protests against Turkish government calls for the sixth-century landmark to be converted into a mosque. A plan for the conversion was expected to be approved by Turkey’s highest court July 2.
The Hagia Sophia, founded by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, was the world’s largest at its dedication in 537. It became Orthodox after the 1054 schism between Eastern and Western Churches. Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Ottoman Empire, it was turned into a mosque.
It became a museum in 1935 under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey and has been visited by Pope St. Paul VI, Pope St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.
In May, Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed he hoped to annul Ataturk’s decree and reopen the monument to Muslim worship.
Abdulahmit Gul, Turkey’s justice minister, told the Anadolu news agency on June 15 that the move was “a matter of sovereignty” and reflected the “common wish” of all citizens.
However, the Orthodox Church in neighbouring Greece rejected the planned conversion, saying on June 12, “Any change will provoke strong protest and frustration among Christians worldwide, as well as harming Turkey itself.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Orthodox Church also called on Turkey to maintain “open access to everyone,” and warned on June 8 that a change in Hagia Sophia’s status would “violate fragile inter-confessional balances.”
Christian minorities complain of discrimination in Turkey and have faced problems recruiting clergy, establishing associations and obtaining building permits.
UNESCO, which declared Hagia Sophia a World Heritage site in 1985, confirmed that a change in the monument’s use require’s international consultation.
