Updated December 5, 2020
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2197
Finally, it appears that UNESCO has protested Turkish plans to turn Aghia Sophia into a Mosque. I suppose one can say better late than never. At this late date, any and all protests are welcome in order to save Justinian’s Church.
There are some good articles that are presently making the rounds regarding Aghia Sophia. Archeology magazine has a cover story on Aghia Sophia involving the latest activities of archeologists, and the Wall Street Journal has an excellent article. This past Wednesday, the Washington Post also had an article on Aghia Sophia.
The attention being given to Aghia Sophia is very welcome at this point. Aghia Sophia has a special meaning for Greek Orthodox faithful. What Saint Peter’s is to Roman Catholics and what the Wailing Wall is to Judaism, Aghia Sophia is to Orthodoxy.
The most welcome support for Aghia Sophia came from his eminence Metropolitan Hilarion Alfayev who is the General Secretary of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Eminence noted that a visit to Aghia Sophia where the liturgy was being celebrated one thousand years ago led to the conversion of the Russians to Christianity. Russian support is especially crucial at this point.
The State Department has made clear its own opposition to the conversion of Aghia Sophia into a Mosque. Despite the intentions of the Erdogan government, the decision to convert Aghia Sophia must be made a by a Turkish Court. Since the failed Coup of 2016, President Erdogan has taken complete control of Turkey. We will soon see if the Courts in Turkey have maintained any independence from the Government.
One reply on “Aghia Sophia and UNESCO”
President Erdogan of Turkey always resorts to these visceral tactics when he’s in political trouble and he is now. The Turkish Lira has dropped precipitously against both the US dollar and the EURO in the past couple of years, largely due to the incompetence of Turkey’s Central Bank leader-an Erdogan lackey who replaced former TCB head Murat Cetinkaya, who was sacked when he refused to lower the prime rate by 300 basis points during an inflationary period. To compound economic problems, the Turkish response to COVID 19 has been atrocious and cases and fatalities dwarf those of neighboring Greece and Bulgaria, again due to the poor policies of Erdogan. Recently, Turkish Air Force aircraft have repeatedly violated the Greek airspace in aggressive incursions-this is commonplace during periods when Turkey is experiencing internal political problems. Turkey has also violated the Cyprus EEZ by sending in natural gas exploratory vessels in a clear violation of international law. Now, Erdogan makes threats to turn Hagia Sophia into a Mosque. It’s clear this is a pattern of events designed to deflect the political heat Erdogan is feeling and refocus it on external ‘threats’, as Turkish governments have always done when they feel vulnerable. Both Greece and Cyprus need to be vigilant during these dangerous times.