Church to Mosque, to Museum, and now back to Mosque?

It was a Church, it became a Mosque, and then a Museum, and now back to Mosque. It is a 65,000 square-foot building completed in 537 AD when Justinian I was Eastern Roman Emperor. What am I talking about? The Hagia Sophia, Cathedral of Constantinople, an exceptionally beautiful building. If you have never seen it Google it, and view the images. Of course, Constantinople is no more, it is Istanbul. There is a 1953 song written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon that talks a little about it. In 1453, the Ottoman Empire took over the area in reference. Islam did not exist yet in 537, obviously. In 1923 the Republic of Turkey was founded, and in 1930 Constantinople became what is now Istanbul. Recently, the Turkish government basically has allowed the Hagia Sophia to be open for Muslim prayers again. This decision has bothered many. In this post, I am sharing an article from the World Council of Churches. The following excerpt is from said article.

The head of the Geneva-based World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing “grief and dismay” from WCC members at his decision to convert the world famous Hagia Sophia into a mosque (oikoumene.org).

Read the full article at the following link.

Hagia Sophia decision by President Erdogan evokes 'grief and dismay' from World Council of Churches — World Council of Churches

Reference:

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/hagia-sophia-decision-by-president-erdogan-evokes-grief-and-dismay-from-world-council-of-churches