Pope Francis expresses sadness after Hagia Sophia is declared a mosque

Monday, July 13th, 2020

Pope Francis expressed his sadness Sunday after Turkey’s decision to convert the former Byzantine cathedral of Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.

In improvised remarks after reciting the Angelus, the pope recalled that July 12 is Sea Sunday, when the worldwide Church prays for seafarers.

“And the sea carries me a little farther away in my thoughts: to Istanbul. I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened,” he said, according to an unofficial translation provided by the Holy See Press Office. Read more

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News category: News Shorts, World.

Tags: Hagia Sophia, Pope Francis

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