Awakening Heavy Reminders: Karekin II on the Decision to Convert Hagia Sophia into a Mosque

The Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II has issued a statement addressing the decision by Turkish authorities to convert the Hagia Sophia cathedral into a mosque.

The statement reads: "The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin laments to note that just a few days ago, on July 10, the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, made the decision to convert the Hagia Sophia, a site of significant importance to the Orthodox Churches and the Christian world, from a museum into a mosque. Despite calls from various pan-Christian organizations, church leaders, and political leaders, the Turkish government made a unilateral and condemnable decision, thereby violating the rights of national religious minorities in Turkey. We regret to note that the voices and concerns of millions of Christians were ignored, and even the fact that Hagia Sophia is listed as a global cultural heritage site by UNESCO was not taken into consideration.

This action by the Turkish government awakens heavy reminders regarding the desecration and destruction of the sanctuaries of the Armenian people and other Christian nations under Ottoman rule over the centuries. The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the Armenian people, as survivors of the Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, share the pain and concerns of their Orthodox brothers and sisters.

The Armenian Church condemns this decision of the Turkish government, which is influenced by political interests and greatly harms the process of inter-religious understanding and dialogue, while also calling for a review of this decision and a return to the principles of peaceful coexistence of various religious communities in Turkey.

Apart from its historical and cultural significance, Hagia Sophia has also acquired various religious, cultural, and political importance throughout the vicissitudes and political changes in history, becoming a symbol not of the clash of civilizations, but of cooperation and the unity of humanity. In this difficult situation created by this unilateral decision, we pray in solidarity with His All-Holiness Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, our beloved brother, and with our Orthodox sisters and brothers.