Common Statement on Hagia Sophia
As Brothers in Christ, and the leaders of our respective communities
here in New York, we lament and decry the decision of the Turkish
government to change the status quo of the world renown Hagia Sophia,
and re-convert this monument of human and divine achievement into a
mosque.
The Hagia Sophia was for nearly a millennium not only the
greatest Church in the world, but the greatest edifice as well. Its
purpose was to be a place of Christian worship par excellence. When the
Roman Empire came to a conclusion by conquest, and the Great Church was
converted into a mosque, this was an era when human events were advanced
through violence. But this is not the way we live today.
The
creation of the modern State of Turkey is synonymous with a secular
ideal of inclusivity. By changing the status of Hagia Sophia from a
mosque to a museum, President Atatürk manifested this global monument to
be a sign of transition from a theocratic empire, to a secular state
that valued the equality of all its citizens.
We affirm the
wisdom of this earlier decision, and call for a reversal of the current
policy of the Turkish government to change the status of Hagia Sophia.
We stand together as brothers in faith, and in solidarity with all
people of good will and good faith, so that Hagia Sophia may remain what
She is – a symbol of encounter, history, spiritual aspiration, and
human achievement of the highest order, glorifying the One God Who has
made us all to be sisters and brothers of one human family.
† ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Archbishop of America
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York
Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Archbishop of New York
Catholic Archdiocese of New York
