The Very Reverend and Reverend Clergy Esteemed Members of the Metropolitan Council, Esteemed Members of the Parish Councils, Philoptochos Sisterhood, Faculty and Students of the Catechetical and Greek Afternoon Schools, Directors and Participants of all Youth Organizations, and all devout Orthodox Christians of the Communities of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey My Beloved in the Lord, In what can only be described as an act of hatred, distain, and malice towards the Orthodox faith, Byzantine culture, and Hellenic heritage, the government and courts of Turkey have given permission for the venerable and holy Church of Agia Sophia in Constantinople to be turned into a mosque. This vile and despicable decision not only offends Orthodox Christians, but all Christians throughout the world as the Turkish government seeks to eradicate Christianity. The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey strongly and unequivocally condemns this action, prompted and promoted by Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The inherent injustice that we have witnessed today is one felt across the globe by all people who treasure justice, peace, and cooperation. It is yet another action in Turkey’s long history of systematic religious and cultural genocide which stretches back centuries and has become increasingly more radical these past decades. Just over a century ago, Turkey murdered millions of Christians in an effort to exterminate the Christian presence within its borders. In the past century, Turkey initiated several pogroms aimed at Greeks and other Christian groups which killed countless innocent people and drove millions to flee from their native homeland.
Just over fifty years ago, Turkey initiated a ruthless war against Cyprus which has culminated in its illegal occupation. Above all, for centuries Turkey has persecuted and deprived the religious freedom of our most Holy Mother Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Now, Turkey seeks to desecrate the most sacred Church of Agia Sophia by converting it into something it was never intended to be. These malevolent actions, which have wrought division, war, genocide and religious oppression, must end! It has become abundantly clear and obvious that the government of Turkey does not want to cooperate or act in a civilized manner. The Turkish government will continue its unwarranted and wicked subjugation of its own Christian citizens and it will not stop until it has annihilated every Christian person, converted every Christian church, and rewritten history so as to eliminate any reference to the native population which graced that region and which gave birth to the City of Cities, Constantinople. Therefore, it is our responsibility to call on the international community to take action against the continuous evils emanating from Turkey. It is our duty to defend our Mother Church, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and to ensure that Christians may freely worship without fear of violence. We must raise our voices and declare that we will not be silenced, we will not capitulate to tyranny, and we will not lose faith in our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ who is the Judge of all. Therefore, I strongly encourage each and every one of you to write to your local, state, and federal political representatives expressing to them the continued injustices perpetrated by the Turkish government and urging them to condemn these actions and to intervene so that justice may prevail. It is my sincerest hope that you will fervently pray for our beloved Agia Sophia to once again serve as an Orthodox Christian Church in the future. Keep our beloved Mother Church in your prayers and remain faithful that, even in the bleakness of the current situation, God is with us. Praying that the Theotokos, the Protectress of the Queen City of Constantinople, blesses and is with you always, I remain With Paternal Love and Blessings, † E V A N G E L O S Metropolitan of New Jersey GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLIS OF NEW JERSEY ΙΕΡΑ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΣ ΝΕΑΣ ΙΕΡΣΕΗΣ
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The Church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is a purpose-built structure, and its purpose is the worship of the Christian God. This particular function is not incidental to the way the church was designed and built by its two visionary architects at the high meridian of the Byzantine Empire. Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus were what their contemporaries called mechanopoioi, a term that is best translated, according to Richard Krautheimer, as “architect–scientists.” Their elite proficiency in mathematics and physics suited them to the task they’d been given by the emperor: building an originally Christian place of worship. In the sixth century, Christians were still drawing on the aesthetics of pagan antiquity, and the basilicas and colonnades of classical Rome had been accepted as the supreme expression of architectural grandeur. Hagia Sophia changed all that.
The German newspaper Bild is making revelations about Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plans after the decision to turn the Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
The article referred to the Turkish president as "plan B", saying that Erdogan "not only wants to pray on July 24, when it will open for the first time as a mosque to the public, but also plans to preach." Arab media commentators have labeled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a hypocrite and said his recent decision to convert the Hagia Sophia from a cultural site and museum back into a mosque plays into the hands of extremists.
Erdogan in English: Agia Sophia's doors will be, as is the case with all our mosques, wide open to all, whether they be foreign or local, Muslim or non-Muslim. Erdogan in Arabic: Revival of Agia Sophia is a sign towards return of freedom to AlAqsa mosque. And there's more. Erdogan in English: Opening Hagia Sophia for worship is merely an exercise of our country's sovereign rights. Erdogan in Arabic: Resurrection of Hagia Sophia is a greeting from our heart to all cities symbolizing our civilization. From Bukhara to Andalusia. Thanks to Jenan Moussa for translation.
More International NewsTurkey’s President Erdoğan just ordered an historic 1,500-year-old Christian church be reconverted from a Museum into a functioning Islamic mosque.
The Hagia Sophia (named after God’s Holy Wisdom) in its original form was built by Emperor Constantine as a Christian church sometime around the year 537AD, about 500 years after Christ himself walked among us. It was rebuilt two centuries later after a devastating fire and stood as an Orthodox Christian church. Even though it has been out of the control of the Orthodox Church for nearly 600 years and has been used as a museum since 1934, it remains not only an architectural marvel but a testament to the glory of Jesus Christ and a powerful symbol of Byzantium and its legacy for global Orthodoxy. It is currently a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, just issued a decree reclaiming the holy site for Islam. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a decree Friday ordering Hagia Sophia to be opened for Muslim prayers, an action likely to provoke international furor around a World Heritage Site cherished by Christians and Muslims alike for its religious significance, for its stunning structure and as a symbol of conquest. The presidential decree came minutes after a Turkish court announced that it had revoked Hagia Sophia’s status as a museum, which for the last 80 years had made it a monument of relative harmony and a symbol of the secularism that was part of the foundation of the modern Turkish state. This move could be considered an instance of history repeating, as the historic church was conquered by Muslims and converted to a mosque in the 1400’s. The church is itself an historic marvel. It was built in 537AD by 10,000 workers on the order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. It immediately became the foremost cathedral in the imperial city of Constantinople and the entire Christian world, east and west. Emperor Justinian stated that, as a cathedral, it was “one that has never existed since Adam’s time, and one that will never exist again.” The present structure was the largest religious structure in the world when it was built. This remained true until the completion of the current St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome during the 16th century. Historians of science are still puzzled by how 6th century engineers would be able to build such a large dome without modern tools such as steel and calculus. Historically it has served as the primary site of Byzantine religious, imperial, and diplomatic ceremony. It is the cathedral church of the Ecumenical Patriarch. After the 8th century, it became the site for crowning new emperors. It has been the site of royal weddings, diplomatic baptisms, signing of treaties, and more, as documented in the 9th century document Book of Ceremonies. Throughout its storied history, Hagia Sophia has been in different hands over the centuries:
Erdoğan claims the doors will still be open to Muslims and non-Muslims, but what are the odds that tourists will flock to an active mosque? It seems more likely that now the famed church and the Turkish government’s re-appropriation of it are meant to serve as a symbol of Islamic conquest. Even an official from neighboring Greece called the move “a direct challenge to the entire civilized world.” Imagine if any foreign leader announced that it was seizing a Muslim mosque and converting it to a Christian church. There would likely be zero-tolerance from the Muslim world. And yet Erdoğan made it clear he rules over Turkey, including Turkish Christians, with impunity, almost provoking Western leaders to challenge him, stating: [T]he way Hagia Sophia will be used falls under Turkey's sovereign rights. We deem every move that goes beyond voicing an opinion a violation of our sovereignty. And this is not the first time under Erdoğan that Turkey has taken possession of Christian churches. As the New York Times reported in 2016: The Turkish government has seized the historic Armenian Surp Giragos Church, a number of other churches and large swaths of property in the heavily damaged Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, saying it wants to restore the area but alarming residents who fear the government is secretly aiming to drive them out. Turkish tourism companies have built a lucrative industry exploiting “Christian tourism.” Yet it’s very clear the Turkish government has no respect for Christianity or its history. In fact, it’s clear Turkey has blatant disdain for the Christian faith. The ACLJ has direct experience with Turkey’s contempt toward Christians. Two years ago, when we fought to obtain Christian Pastor Andrew Brunson’s freedom from a Turkish prison, we told you that the indictment against him called “Christianization” – preaching the gospel – an act of terrorism. As we reported then, the indictment included accounts from so-called “secret witnesses” who claimed Protestant Christians believe that “President Erdoğan is the antichrist” and that American Protestants believe a war will be initiated by Israel, and that, as Christians, we believe “all humans are slaves of the sons of Israel and Protestants.” This was, at best, a gross mischaracterization of Christianity. But if this is the accepted attitude about the faith, it certainly falls right in line with converting an historic Christian site into a mosque. The move to claim the Hagia Sophia for Islam is only the latest, but perhaps most grand incident by Turkey, under President Erdoğan to express a clear animosity toward Christianity. Harassing and imprisoning Christians. Commandeering Christian churches. It all begs the question, what is Turkey’s endgame? Is this a targeted campaign to drive Christianity out of the country altogether? As of now, the Hagia Sophia will reopen as a mosque on July 24th. The ACLJ will continue to closely monitor Turkey’s actions against Christians and Christian churches, and we are already mobilizing our legal and Government Affairs teams to protect this historic Christian church. We have stood before the U.N. before, delivering critical oral and written submissions, regarding Turkey’s violations of its U.N. charter and its own constitution which both demand it respect and protect the religious freedom. Read further analysis from the ACLJ's legal team here. This article was co-authored by ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow. Moscow's goal is to reduce the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul Despite persistent efforts by some pro-Russian propaganda circles and Moscow's authorized "correspondents" in Greece to accuse the Ecumenical Patriarchate of failing to respond to the "protector" of the Orthodox "Holy Russia" in the conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a mosque Analysts, who know in depth the history and geopolitical things, reject this outrageous and utterly misleading view. We have already referred to the position of Internationalist Konstantinos Filis, Head of the Russia-Eurasia & Southern Europe Center of the Institute of International Relations, who, speaking to SKAI's main news bulletin, on Saturday, July 11, 2020, one day later conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, he said, among other things: "It is no coincidence that Russia, the most populous country in Orthodoxy, has taken a blatant stance because on the one hand the Russian Church denounces Erdogan's decision yesterday, on the other hand the Russian president's spokesman says that is an internal matter of Turkey. So it seems that Moscow does not want to damage relations with Ankara because of Hagia Sophia. " Mr. Filis repeated the same position on SKAI's morning show "Today", on Monday, July 13, 2020, giving it a broader historical dimension, which is easily confirmed by a simple flashback to the past: "Russia and Turkey consider themselves the successors of the former empires and, just as the former empires did not quarrel over the small ones but kept a functional relationship with each other, so it is now between Putin and Erdogan." "Little thing", then, for Putin's "Holy Russia", the eternal symbol of Orthodoxy, the Hagia Sophia, the Holy Cathedral in which the Slavs of the north came to know Christianity ... Even more resonant was the intervention of Mr. Konstantinos Yfantis, Associate Professor of International Relations at Panteion University, who put things on a historical footing, one that anyone can detect and confirm over time: "Russia was absolutely predictable in its behavior for anyone who knows Russia's aspirations. Russia's aspirations are to reduce the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul. That is, they are almost happy ... ". Finally, born of Halki Pringiponnisa journalist Manolis Kostidis denied the claims of the Moscow propagandists that supposedly all blame recognition Ukranian by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, recalling the characteristics of Turkish equipment from Russia with S -400 and the construction by the Russians of the Turkish nuclear power plant in Akkuyu, which of course has nothing to do with the ecclesiastical developments in Ukraine, since they have been far ahead of the relevant decisions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. "There is something else," said the experienced journalist ... Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that the Hagia Sophia, one of the architectural wonders of the world, would be reopened for Muslim worship, sparking fury in the Christian community and neighbouring Greece. His declaration came after a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century Byzantine monument's status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque. The UNESCO World Heritage site in historic Istanbul, a magnet for tourists worldwide, was first constructed as a cathedral in the Christian Byzantine Empire but was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The Council of State, Turkey's highest administrative court, unanimously cancelled a 1934 cabinet decision and said Hagia Sophia was registered as a mosque in its property deeds, in its detailed reasoning seen by AFP. The landmark ruling will inflame tensions not just with the West and Turkey's historic foe Greece but also Russia, with which Erdogan has forged an increasingly close partnership in recent years. - 'Millions of Christians not heard' - Greece branded the move by Muslim-majority Turkey an "open provocation to the civilised world". "The nationalism displayed by Erdogan... takes his country back six centuries," Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement. The Russian Orthodox Church was equally scathing. "The concern of millions of Christians were not heard," Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida told Interfax news agency. The decision "shows that all pleas regarding the need to handle the situation extremely delicately were ignored," he said. The UN cultural agency UNESCO earlier Friday had warned Turkey against converting Hagia Sophia, urging dialogue before any decision was taken. The United States has also urged against altering its status. Hagia Sophia, which stands opposite the impressive Sultanahmet Mosque -- often called the Blue Mosque, has been a museum since 1935 and open to believers of all faiths. Transforming it from a mosque was a key reform under the new republic born out of the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Sharing a presidential decree which named Hagia Sophia as a "mosque", Erdogan announced its administration would be handed over to Turkey's religious affairs directorate known as Diyanet. "May we be blessed," he commented. The decree was published on the official gazette. Erdogan has in recent years placed great emphasis on the battles which resulted in the defeat of Byzantium by the Ottomans, with lavish celebrations held every year to mark the conquest. Muslim clerics have occasionally recited prayers in the museum on key anniversaries or religious holidays. "The decision is intended to score points with Erdogan’s pious and nationalist constituents," said Anthony Skinner of the risk assessment firm Verisk Maplecroft. "Hagia Sophia is arguably the most conspicuous symbol of Turkey's Ottoman past –- one which Erdogan is leveraging to strengthen his base while snubbing domestic and foreign rivals," he told AFP. - 'Chains broken'- A few hundreds of Turks carrying Turkish flags gathered outside Hagia Sophia shouting "Chains broken, Hagia Sophia reopened". Police heightened security measures around the building, according to AFP journalists. "It's been a dream since we were kids," said Erdal Gencler, an Istanbul resident. "(Hagia Sophia) finds its true purpose again. We are very excited, proud, and hopeful that there will be beautiful services here," he added. Fatma, a woman with tearful eyes, said: "Of course I am crying. (Hagia Sophia) belongs to us." Ahead of the court decision, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul shared a picture of Hagia Sophia on his official Twitter account, with a message: "Have a good Friday." Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Erdogan's son-in-law, tweeted that Hagia Sophia would be reopened to Muslim worship "sooner or later", referring to a quote from Turkish poet Necip Fazil Kisakurek. The Council of State had on July 2 debated the case brought by a Turkish group -- the Association for the Protection of Historic Monuments and the Environment, which demanded Hagia Sophia be reopened for Muslim prayers. Since 2005, there have been several attempts to change the building's status. In 2018, the Constitutional Court rejected one application. Despite occasional protests outside the site by Islamic groups, Turkish authorities had until now kept the building as a museum. AP - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday formally reconverted Istanbul's sixth-century iconic Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declared it open to Muslim worship, hours after a high court annulled a 1934 decision that had turned it into a museum. The decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia — a former cathedral that was turned into a mosque after Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire and had served as a museum for 86 years — sparked deep dismay among Orthodox Christians. But there was jubilation outside Hagia Sophia. Dozens of people who awaited the court's ruling outside chanted "Allah is great!" when the news came out. Turkey's high administrative court threw its weight behind a petition brought by a religious group and annulled the 1934 Cabinet decision that turned the site into a museum. Within hours, Erdogan signed a decree handing over Hagia Sophia to Turkey's Religious Affairs Presidency. Erdogan has demanded that the hugely symbolic world heritage site should be turned back into a mosque despite widespread international criticism, including from the United States and Orthodox Christian leaders. The move could also deepen tensions with neighboring Greece. Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, a Greek Cypriot, posted on his official Twitter account that Cyprus "strongly condemns Turkey's actions on Hagia Sophia in its effort to distract domestic opinion and calls on Turkey to respect its international obligations." Christodoulides said Turkey's "escalating, flagrant violation of its international obligations is manifested in its decision to alter the designation of Hagia Sophia, a world heritage site that is a universal symbol of the Orthodox faith." Nationalist and conservative groups have long been yearning to hold prayers at Hagia Sophia, which they regard as part of the Muslim Ottoman legacy. Others believe the UNESCO World Heritage site should remain a museum, as a symbol of Christian and Muslim solidarity. The group that brought the case to court had contested the legality of the 1934 decision by the modern Turkish republic's secular government ministers and argued that the building was the personal property of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, who conquered Istanbul in 1453. The court ruled that Hagia Sophia was the property of a foundation managing the Sultan's assets and was opened up to the public as a mosque. The Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, warned in late June that the building's conversion into a mosque "will turn millions of Christians across the world against Islam." Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, called for "prudence" and the preservation of the "current neutral status" for the Hagia Sophia, which he said was one of Christianity's "devoutly venerated symbols." In a statement this week, he said: "Russia is a country with the majority of the population professing Orthodoxy, and so, what may happen to Hagia Sophia will inflict great pain on the Russian people." U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said last month that the landmark should remain a museum to serve as a bridge between faiths and cultures. His comments sparked a rebuke from Turkey's Foreign Ministry, which said Hagia Sophia was a domestic issue of Turkish national sovereignty. Erdogan, a devout Muslim, has frequently used the Hagia Sophia issue, which sits at the heart of Turkey's religious-secular divide, to drum up support for his Islamic-rooted party. Some Islamic prayers have been held in the museum in recent years and in a major symbolic move, Erdogan recited the opening verse of the Quran in the Hagia Sophia in 2018. Built under Byzantine Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the main seat of the Eastern Orthodox church for centuries, where emperors were crowned amid ornate marble and mosaic decorations. Four minarets were added to the terracotta-hued structure with cascading domes and the building was turned into an imperial mosque following the 1453 Ottoman conquest of Constantinople — the city that is now Istanbul. The building opened its doors as a museum in 1935, a year after the Council of Ministers' decision. Mosaics depicting Jesus, Mary and Christian saints that were plastered over in line with Islamic rules were uncovered through arduous restoration work for the museum. Hagia Sophia was the most popular museum in Turkey last year, drawing more than 3.7 million visitors. News reports have said the conversion could occur in time for prayers on July 15, when Turkey marks the quashing of a coup attempt in 2016. A poll conducted in June by Istanbul Economy Research showed 46.9% of respondents favored Hagia Sophia being opened to Muslim worship while 38.8% said it should remain a museum. 13% said it should be open to worship for all religions. Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed. |