www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall MOSCOW WANTS TURKEY TO RETURN HAIGHA SOPHIA TO ORTHODOX CHURCH

MOSCOW WANTS TURKEY TO RETURN HAIGHA SOPHIA TO ORTHODOX CHURCH

Religious Information Service of Ukraine
26 November 2015
http://risu.org.ua/en/index/all_news/world_news/61791/

The State Duma deputies supported the idea of ​​return of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to the Orthodox Church. This was stated by Chairman of Committee on Property, coordinator of inter-factional parliamentary group on the protection of Christian values ​​Sergei Gavrilov, TSN reports.

Today, when the Russian-Turkish relations are undergoing “endurance trial,”the mutual friendly initiatives and proposals are of special importance, Gavrilov says.

“The Russian side deems it possible to recur to the ancient shrine of the Christian world, located in Turkey, Istanbul - St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia) of Constantinople –an ancient Byzantine cathedral, which is associated with the history of the Universal Christian Church. We expect a friendly step from the Turkish side - returning St Sophia Cathedral of Constantinople to the Christian Church,” the deputy said.

He added that Russia is ready to participate financially, and involve the best Russian restorers and scientists in the restoration of the universal Christian monument.

“This step would help Turkey and Islam demonstrate that good will is above politics. Saint Sophia should be returned to Christians,” the parliamentarian said.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was converted into a mosque. In 1935, Hagia Sophia acquired the status of museum. St Sophia Cathedral was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List among the other monuments of Istanbul’s historic center in 1985.

I suspect Islam is more interested in politics than good will with Christians. Keeping in mind that nothing would make them happier than eliminating all Christianity. As for the Turks returning the building, dream on.

Providence tells me that many events will happen: The Russians will take Turkey and Turkey will disappear from the world map because a third of the Turks will become Christians, another third will die in the war and another third will leave for Mesopotamia.

St Paisios the Athonite

St. Paisios entered my mind when I read the original post. I have read his prophecies.

Yes, Michael, it is amazing to the Greeks who know these prophecies, which sounded unbelievable decades ago, how they are being played out.
I read Russian news as well as Greek news to get more perspective on world events.
ISIS is the great evil the world is facing, and apparently Turkey has been buying ISIS oil, thus funding them. Erdogan is something of a madman, and even my son's secular Turkish friends do not approve of him. Good for Putin standing up to him!
I am sad, however, because Istanbul is a beautiful city, full of the history of different cultures and civilizations. I have not been there since I was a teenager travelling with my mother, and have been wanting to visit there again. If history plays out according to prophecy, there may be little time left to do that now.

Under previous "secular" Turkish governments, all relations with the Constantinopolitan Patriarchate were seen through the lens of Greco-Turkish national relations which still include occasional dog-fights over the Aegean Sea.

When Erdogan first ascended, there was optimism in some Orthodox circles because of his ostensible piety. The idea was that as man who was truly religious but not fundamentalist, he would look positively upon the other traditional faith group present in Turkey (i.e. the Orthodox). At a minimum, he would see Orthodoxy as preferable to the secular humanist trend that has infected most of the Christian churches in Western Europe with all of its associated immoralities.

It was suddenly reasonable to expect a return of the seminary in Halki. In a dream, some of us even envisioned permission for an occasional Divine Liturgy in the Great Church herself. (For the record, I clandestinely chanted "kirie eleison" there in 2004, just long enough to get the security apparatus in motion.) In fact, there has been some easing of the restrictions upon the Orthodox, but not enough to make a real difference. Then again, we've been more than 500 years under the Turk and have grown somewhat used to it.

Unfortunately, Erdogan has not shown any particular urgency toward improving relations with the Patriarchate. His current tussle with the Russian state, the concatenate sanctions and saber-rattling on both sides will not improve that relationship. More fuel on the fire, the Patriarch of Moscow declared Russia's actions in Syria a "holy war" or words to that effect.

If it is true (as Seymour Hersh alleges) that Erdogan secretly used chemical weapons in Syria in the hope that the US would attack Assad because he had crossed "the red line" and if it is true (as Putin alleges) that his son is an oil smuggler for ISIS, I don't think we should be expecting the return of Agia Sofia any time soon. If this is the character of the man leading 80 million Turks, we had better hope that the military removes him and reinstalls a secularist. (see Egypt)

very interesting

Apart from any political machinations involved here, I wonder why the issue of the return of Aghia Sophia to its rightful owner, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, is such a silent one, especially in the interface between Turkey and the West?

Aghia Sophia today is supposed to be, according to the propaganda, something reflecting "both Christian and Islamic" traditions.

In fact, many of its icons have been whitewashed out of existence and it is, in every sense of the word, a mosque. Given the fact that right in front of it at some distance is an exact copy of Aghia Sophia, the so-called "Blue Mosque," why is Aghia Sophia still to this day not a functioning Cathedral of the EP?

The return of Aghia Sophia (with its miraculous, weeping columns inside - we don't have to wonder why they are weeping . . .) would go along way to showing the world that Turkey's values reflect more approximately those of the West etc.

Alex

Here is a hypothetical question. What If the Hagia Sophia was given back to the Church. Would they then start the Divine Liturgy where they left off or would they start from the beginning?

Isn't the prophecy that when it is returned to the Church, the priest will return through the walls with Eucharist in hand, to continue the Divine Liturgy where it ceased?