Bartholomew I: Do Not Transform Hagia Sophia in Trabzon into a Mosque

Asia News ^ | 8/17/12 | Nat da Polis

[marshmallow]

The Ecumenical Patriarch is opposed to the proposal of the Vice-President Bulent Arinc because there is "no need" for worship. Bartholomew is also supported by the head of the Muslim community, who points out the many mosques, which remain largely empty. Regarding minorities, the government is Turkish makes "one step forward, one step back." Anti-conformist sentiments on the up.

Trabzon (AsiaNews) - There is "no need" to transform the ancient church of Aghia Sophia in Trabzon into a mosque, it is better that it remains a museum open to all religions: Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, expressed with clarity his opposition to the idea supported by the Deputy Turkish Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc who would like to turn this monument of Christianity in an exclusive place of worship for Muslims.

The church of Aghia Sofia (Saint Sofia) is a gem of ancient architecture and dates back to the era of the Comnenus Emperors (1204-1461). It testifies to the ancient presence of Christians of Pontus on the Black Sea, wiped out as a result of various genocides and purges first by the Ottomans, then by the neo-Turks.

Yesterday, the Ecumenical Patriarch visited the church and met with the mayor of the city, Genc. In front of reporters, Bartholomew said: "We respect all mosques and all places of worship, but in this case - turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque - I see no need for worship."

He added. "We are in favor of maintaining the church of Hagia Sophia as a museum. Moreover, as stated by the head of the local [Islamic] community [here] there are already many mosques to meet the needs for worship of the faithful, and they remain largely partially empty. "

The Patriarch recalled the recent statements by the President of the Muslim community of the place..

[Celtic Cross]

Hagia Sophia, in my opinion, is/was one of the most beautiful churches on earth.

Pray it doesn't get turned back into a muzzie mosk.

[skeeter]

Islam has to p*ss on everything they acquire like a dog marking his territory.

If this were the Catholics or any other Christian sect doing this to an ancient mosque European leaders would be in late stage purple faced apoplexy.

[The Grammarian]

Some of the facts in this story are off. Like that Hagia Sophia means "Saint Sophia" (it means "Holy Wisdom"), or that it dates to the era of the Comnenus emperors (the current structure was built almost a millenium before, in the 500s AD, during the reign of Justinian I and Theodora I).

[Tennessee Nana]

What a travesty...

[Snickering Hound]

[RichInOC]

Just to be clear, this isn’t the big one in Istanbul. This one’s in what used to be Trebizond, up on the Black Sea.

[Reily]

Hmm I don't think they are not talking about Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. This another Orthodox Church that until now is only allowd to exist as a museum. I think the city they are talking about is on the Black Sea.

[absalom01]

You’re probably thinking of Justinian’s Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (4th century, and of stupendously large dimensions). This is a smaller cross-in-square plan church on the Black Sea built in the 13th century. OK, I had to look that up.

Nonetheless, it would indeed be a tragedy if it were to be desecrated, again, by being turned into a mosque. Better yet for it to be reconsecrated as an Orthodox church.

[Little Bill]

“Holy Wisdom” in Trabazon.

[muawiyah]

Spain has many places that through the passage of time were occupied by both Christians and Moslems so they were simply modified to accommodate whoever was the current ruling authority.

In the United States places of worship change hands rapidly, so by now everybody has something somebody else had.

We are different than the people in the Old World.

[moose07]

[skeeter]

Spain has many places that through the passage of time were occupied by both Christians and Moslems so they were simply modified to accommodate whoever was the current ruling authority.

By passage of time I assume you are referring to the period between the 8th & 15th centuries. Otherwise Spain was christian by choice.

[muawiyah]

Otherwise Spain, in the good old days, held on to Arianism by choice, and that's not currently Christian orthodoxy.

Spain's position in the Catholic world was molded over a number of centuries by the arrival of Cornish, Breton and French knights who went there for fame and glory ~ glory most often being the estates of some local Spanish lord of indeterminant affiliation ~ get yourself a list of Spanish noble names and using a Breton or Welsh dictionary go through them and figure out how many of them were "imports" ~ it's simply incredible. Even that most Spanish of all names, Sancho, is really Saint Charles in Cornish.

It's those guys who brought a more commonly understood Catholicism with them.

Spain escaped Protestantism when the leading Cardinal in Spain in the 1500s traded away his threat of schism for an agreement with King Philippe I/II that ALL the Catholic orders be allowed to go to the New World and seek souls for Christ. That took care of the great noble families, all of whom had both secular and religious bishops in their circles, and all of whom had actual priests and nuns at the working levels of the religious orders.

Things went the other way in France, over other issues, but the great noble families chaffed under state dictation of the order of worship in their own family chapels and next thing you know they had open war for quite some time.

I haven't yet figured out how the Pope dealt with the Spanish nobility when it came to the question of who went to the Americas, but it looks like several of them stood aside ~ Spain was, after all, the richest nation on Earth at the time.