“I’m thinking about Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and I’m very saddened,” the TASS pontiff quotes.
On July 10, the Turkish State Council overturned the 1934 decision to turn the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a museum. Then Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree that allowed Muslim worship to be held in Hagia Sophia.
The United States said they were disappointed with the decision of the Turkish authorities in this regard.
Regret was also expressed in the EU, UNESCO and the Russian Orthodox Church.