Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
US House Passes Hagia Sophia Amendment
Rep. Dina Titus leads effort to denounce Turkey for converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque
WASHINGTON, DC, July 23, 2020 -- On the
eve of the national “day of mourning” for Hagia Sophia and Turkey’s
planned inauguration of using Hagia Sophia as a mosque, the US House of
Representatives passed, by unanimous consent, an amendment offered by
Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) objecting to Turkey’s seizure of the
Great Church of Holy Wisdom.
The Titus amendment to HR 7608 - which
was cosponsored by Congressmen Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), John Sarbanes
(D-MD), Chris Pappas (D-NH), David Cicilline (D-RI), Ted Deutch (D-FL),
Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) - calls on the State
Department to "denounce Turkey for taking formal action to change the
status of Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site spiritually
significant to people of many faiths and backgrounds, from a museum to a
mosque; and to engage with Turkey for the purpose of returning its
status to a museum so as to welcome people of all faiths and those who
have marveled at its architectural and artistic splendor.”
Here is a video of Congresswoman Titus speaking on the House floor today urging her colleagues to vote in support of this amendment.
As the US House of Representatives was
taking this action, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America His
Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was at the White House meeting with
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to express the
concerns of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese over the seizure and re-conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a
mosque.