Pope Francis says that he is saddened by the Turkish government's decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, writes Vatican News.
"I think about Hagia Sophia, and I am greatly saddened," – declared the Pope of Rome.
Reminder: The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, signed an order to change the status of Hagia Sophia Cathedral located in Istanbul into a mosque. Earlier, the high administrative body has canceled the decision dated 1934 on awarding the Cathedral a status of the museum.
Hagia Sophia Cathedral was built in Byzantine in the VI century; in the XV century, the Islamic Empire turned it into a mosque. The object maintained the status of the museum and is enlisted in the UNESCO register since 1985.