The president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and the
head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia say Hagia Sophia’s
revised status as a mosque risks sowing division in a world seeking
common ground.
In a statement signed by Archbishop Mark Coleridge and Archbishop
Makarios released today, the two leaders “join our voices to the many
around the world who have expressed deep regret at the recent decision
in Turkey to change the status of Hagia Sophia/Aya Sofya”.
Hagia Sophia, which was a Christian
cathedral for more than 900 years before becoming a mosque in the 15th
century, became a secular museum in 1935. After a decision earlier this
month, it has again become a mosque, with Friday prayers set to resume
there today.
The archbishops said the grand building has, for the past 85 years,
been “a monument of world cultural heritage and a symbol of
inclusivity”.
“Our fear is that this could aggravate tension between Christians and
Muslims at a time when we need to pursue the path of dialogue and seek
common ground,” the statement says.
“The path of nationalist ideology and the political decisions it
prompts can lead only to division, which is never the fruit of the holy
wisdom all religions seek.”
The archbishops prayed for the people of Turkey, including the Christians “who have been especially grieved by this decision”.
“We pray too that in time the decision will be reversed, so that
Hagia Sophia/Aya Sofya can again be common ground for all people and an
emblem of peace,” they concluded.