In connection with the decision of the Republic of Turkey to return the Church of the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) into a mosque, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania declares: “This decision belongs to the tragic actions which undermine the greatest hope of our epoch, the peaceful coexistence of religions and cultures. This…

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International public opinion along with world leaders and institutions continued to express dismay and bewilderment over yesterday’s announcement, made Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself, reconverting the iconic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. Although the authoritarian and Islamist-leaning Erdogan and his top ministers had repeatedly threatened over recent years to change the status of…

Statement Concerning Agia Sophia July 10, 2020   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…

When you visit the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Phanar in Constantinople, a centerpiece of your time there is to visit the Church of Saint George the Great Martyr. This church is the fifth church in Constantinople to house the Ecumenical Patriarchate since the fall of the City in 1453. The church is, first and foremost, a…

The Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, notes with great sorrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s signing Friday of a decree that converts Hagia Sophia, the foremost Christian Cathedral in the entire world for nearly a millennium, into a mosque. Amid the pain and grief of this day, we take comfort from…

  

Hagia Sophia: UNESCO deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish authorities, made without prior discussion, and calls for the universal value of World Heritage to be preserved Paris, Friday 10 July – The Director-General of UNESCO deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish authorities, made without prior discussion, to change the status of Hagia Sophia….

On July 10, the Holy Eparchial Synod of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America issued a statetment regarding the decision made by the Turkish government to convert Hagia Sophia of Constantinople into a mosque. The statement reads: Today, His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros convened a special session of the Holy Eparchial Synod, and with great sorrow…