Call for Louder Church Bells as Prayers are Held at Hagia Sophia

Former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan made a statement on his Facebook page, urging for the church bells of Armenian churches to ring louder during the evening service:

“Today, as prayers are being held at the Christian symbol Hagia Sophia, we are obliged to have the bells of Armenian churches ring louder during the evening service. Around our family dinner tables, hand in hand, let us send forth the Lord’s Prayer 'Our Father...' to God.”

“Today, more than ever, seeing the complex processes unfolding in the region, we must, without laying down our weapons, unite around our church, family, army, and national values, and proudly carry the sacred mission of being Armenian Christians,” Ohanyan wrote.

It is noteworthy that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that starting from July 24, Muslim believers will be able to pray at the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. Previously, Hagia Sophia was a Christian church, but in 1453, Ottoman leader Mehmed the Conqueror captured Constantinople and turned it into the capital of the Ottoman Empire, ordering the church to be converted into a mosque. Under the secular founder of Turkey, President Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a museum, but recently, a Turkish court restored its status as a mosque.