Journalist: Only Russia can return Hagia Sophia to Orthodoxy
The chances that Hagia Sophia will remain an Orthodox church remain, despite the decision of the Turkish authorities to repurpose the facility into a mosque.
The famous Greek international journalist Dimitris Liatsos stated this on the Balkanist YouTube channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“There are always chances. Never say never. But there are chances only under one condition – with the assistance of Russia,” the journalist believes.
He believes that nothing can desecrate an Orthodox shrine, not even a Muslim service, which was initiated by Turkish President Recep Erdogan on the anniversary of the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire.
“The power of this temple is so attractive that even devout Muslims went there and performed namaz, although there are a huge number of beautiful mosques in Constantinople. This is a symbol of another religion, why are you going there? The Turks do not understand that by celebrating their holidays in Hagia Sophia they only glorify this Orthodox church even more. You can’t cover her frescoes of the XNUMXth – XNUMXth centuries with any panels,” Liatsos said.
Last summer, Erdogan signed a decree allowing Muslim prayers to be held in Hagia Sophia.
The main shrine of Orthodoxy became a mosque in 1453 after the fall of Constantinople. It remained in this status until 1934, when Ataturk, as part of secular reforms, made it a museum.
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