EGN NEWS DESK
(CP) European bishops have condemned the current choice by Turkish authorities to transform the Church of Saint Saviour in Chora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Istanbul, right into a mosque, calling it an effort to dilute the historic roots of Christianity within the nation.
“This step additional dilutes the historic roots of the Christian presence within the nation. Any interreligious dialogue initiative promoted by Turkish authorities loses credibility,” the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, or COMECE, stated in a press release.
The transformation of the Church of Saint Saviour in Chora right into a mosque earlier this month got here 4 years after the same conversion of the Hagia Sophia Basilica, one other iconic Byzantine Christian web site, right into a mosque. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally inaugurated the Chora church for Islamic worship earlier this month.
“This is a step additional in diluting the historic roots of the Christian presence within the nation, and it’s a regrettable choice that can make non secular coexistence harder. With this motion, any initiative relating to interreligious dialogue promoted by the nation’s authorities will inevitably lose credibility,” acknowledged Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, Secretary General of COMECE.
The Church of Saint Savior in Chora, constructed within the fourth century, is an emblem of Eastern Christianity and a big historic marker of the Christian presence in Turkey. It was transformed right into a mosque within the sixteenth century throughout the Ottoman Empire. It was designated a museum in 1945 and reopened for public show in 1958 after intensive restoration efforts by American artwork historians.
The Greek Foreign Ministry issued a robust condemnation, stating that the choice to function the Chora church as a mosque distorts its character as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and undermines its common cultural significance. “The upkeep of monuments’ common character and compliance with worldwide requirements for the safety of non secular and cultural heritage is a transparent worldwide obligation binding on all States,” the Ministry’s assertion learn.
The inauguration ceremony of the Chora church as a mosque, held remotely by President Erdogan from Ankara, was broadcasted nationally. The occasion included prayers led by native worshipers and speeches by distinguished non secular figures, corresponding to Istanbul’s mufti, Safi Arpaguş. The General Directorate of Foundations in Turkey organized the ceremony, which noticed vital attendance from the neighborhood.
The U.S. State Department additionally expressed concern. A spokesperson inspired the Turkish authorities to protect and guarantee entry to websites which have hosted completely different non secular communities, respecting their various histories. “We encourage the Turkish authorities to protect and guarantee entry to websites and buildings which have hosted completely different non secular communities in a manner that respects their various histories,” the spokesperson advised the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
The conversions of church buildings are seen as strategic efforts by the Turkish president to consolidate assist from his conservative and non secular base amid the nation’s ongoing financial challenges.
In 2020, President Erdogan and a whole bunch of worshipers participated within the first Muslim prayers held on the Hagia Sophia in 86 years, marking its redesignation as a mosque regardless of widespread worldwide disapproval.
COMECE had referred to as the change of standing of the Hagia Sophia “a blow to interreligious dialogue.” On that event, the bishops additionally identified Turkey’s ongoing points with hate speech and threats towards nationwide, ethnic and non secular minorities.
© The Christian Post
