Vatican City: Pope Francis said on Sunday he is deeply pained over the decision by Turkey to change the status of the iconic Hagia Sophia — which was originally built in Istanbul as a Christian cathedral — from that of a museum to a mosque.
In a brief, improvised remark, made from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, Francis noted that the Catholic Church marked Sunday as International Day of the Sea.
"And the sea brings me a little far away with my thought: to Istanbul," the pontiff said. "I am thinking of St. Sophia and I am deeply pained."
Francis said no more but was referring to the move by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to formally convert the monumental building back into a mosque.
The colossal Santa Sophia cathedral was turned into a mosque after the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453.
Read | World Council of Churches expresses dismay over Hagia Sophia
The secular Turkish government in 1934 decided to make it a museum.
The pope, who heads the Roman Catholic church, is adding his voice to strong objections a day earlier by the head of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches.
That organization described its grief and dismay in noting that Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter, and inspiration for people from all nations. The council's membership comprises Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican churches.
Erdogan declared the monument open for Muslim worship after a high court annulled the 1934 government decision.
(AP)
