"Hagia Sophia", Photo: Nikos Papachristou
On 11 July, World Council of Churches (WCC)
interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca sent a letter to the
Turkish president expressing “grief and dismay,” noting that since
1934, “Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and
inspiration for people from all nations and religions.”
The letter generated widespread reactions from churches and the media—and also from Muslim leaders.
Sauca met online with H.E. Judge Mohamad Abdel Salam,
general secretary of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF),
special adviser of the Grand Imam of al Azhar Cheikh Ahmad al Tayeb, and
special adviser of the Muslim Council of Elders.
A letter from the HCHF, signed by Abdel Salam, stated:
“In recognition of the cultural and spiritual value of Hagia Sophia for
humanity all over the world, we support your call to avoid divisions and
to promote mutual respect and understanding among all religions, and it
gives me pleasure to attach herewith a copy of the Higher Committee of
Human Fraternity's statement regarding this issue.”
The statement reiterated that places of worship must
always remain a message of peace and love for all believers. “HCHF calls
on everyone to avoid any step that could undermine interfaith dialogue
and cross-cultural communication, and that could create tensions and
hatred among the followers of different religions, confirming the
humanity's need to prioritize the values of coexistence,” reads the
statement. “HCHF considers that the places of worship have a very
special meaning for believers, stressing that it must stay the same – as
message of peace and love for everyone, and it shouldn't be used in a
way that could contribute to segregation and discrimination, at a time
when the world is in real need to respond to religious appealing to
achieve human solidarity, and to strengthen the values of coexistence
and brotherhood between all humankind.”
Hafid Ouardiri, director of the Muslim Foundation de
l’Entre-Connaissance in Geneva, founding member and vice-president of
the Interreligious Platform of Geneva, and founding member and
vice-president of the Spiritual Appeal of Geneva wrote in a letter to
the WCC: “I would like to express my full support for the letter
addressed to the President of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyep Erdogan, by Rev.
Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, interim general secretary of the World Council of
Churches in Geneva, about the conversion of Hagia Sofia into a mosque
when it was a museum symbol of respect for beliefs and an example for
peace… As a Muslim, like many others around the world, we pray that
Hagia Sofia, in Turkey we love with all our heart, remains what she has
always been since 1934, namely a crossroads of knowledge, of light,
wisdom and peace for all humanity.”
Sauca said he was surprised and grateful by the
widespread reactions of solidarity and support: “The outpouring has been
more than we could ever have expected,” he said. “Muslims and
Christians have lived side-by-side throughout history in the Middle East
and, based on their common affirmation of the love of God and of the
neighbor, found ways of cohabitation, cooperation and mutual support.”
He also noted that interreligious dialogue has been
ongoing for almost 50 years and, in these times, has to be deepened
further, and is needed more than ever. “I am proud and encouraged to see
the signs of support and solidarity expressed by our Muslim partners
and friends,” Sauca said. “It proves that our dialogue is deep and
genuine, and together we could achieve the dream of building a peaceful
world in which people and religions respect and support one another.”
Sauca shared a summary of the dialogue and response
from the WCC’s Muslim partners during his report to the WCC executive
committee, which is convening online this week. The executive committee
strongly affirmed the WCC interim’s general secretary’s letter of 11
July concerning the re-conversion of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul from a
museum back to a mosque, underlining the negative impacts on
inter-religious relations, and appealing for this decision to be
reversed and for Hagia Sophia to be retained as the shared heritage of
humanity.
The WCC executive committee also welcomed the very high
level of media attention that this letter received around the world and
expressed gratitude for the support of leading Muslim counterparts. The
committee also invited prayerful solidarity and support by WCC member
churches around the world in their efforts to challenge and reverse this
gravely regressive decision, and recommends that the executive
committee’s Christian solidarity be formally conveyed to the Ecumenical
Patriarchate, along with the actions taken by WCC in relation to this
matter.