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Common Statementon Hagia SophiaAs leaders of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and the GreekOrthodox Metropolis of Boston, we wish to voice our strong oppositionto the decision of Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğanto re-convertHagia Sophia into a mosque. President Erdoğan’sdecreeundoes that of his predecessor, President Kemal Atatürk, whoconverted Hagia Sophia into a secular museumin 1935.Thisaction altersthestatus quo thathas existed for the last 85 years and causesgreat pain to manythroughout the world.Hagia Sophia, completedin the year 537 during the reign of Emperor Justinianthe Great, served as an important center of Christian worship for over 950 years. When the city of Constantinople came under the controlof the Ottomans in 1453, the conquering power converted the great Christian cathedralinto a mosque.Thus, Hagia Sophiaserved as a preeminent place of Christian worship foralmost twice as long as it did a mosque.Since its conversion into a museum, countless visitorshave passed through its great bronze doors and appreciatedits distinctive architecture and historic mosaics. Hagia Sophia’s structure in general, and pendentive domeis particular, is as much an engineering marvel today as it was when the Eastern Roman Empire built it.Thisis truly a unique building thatthe entire worldadmires and respects.UNESCO has designated Hagia Sophia as a World Heritage Site.Recently, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay,also expressed deep regret over the decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque without any discussion.The Director-General is not alone in this opinion, and we join our voices to hers,as well asthose ofsecular and religious leaders throughout the world,to express our profound disappointment at this most hurtful change in status.We call upon President Erdoğanto reverse his recent decision on Hagia Sophia and restore it to its previousstateasa museum.This return to the status quo will allowpeople of all faiths to draw inspiration from Hagia Sophia’srich historyand serve tostrengthen the relationship between Muslim and Christian communities, both in Turkey and throughout the world.
Metropolitan Methodios of BostonCardinalSeán O’MalleyGreek Orthodox Metropolis of BostonRoman CatholicArchbishop of Boston
