Phanar head “hurt” by Hagia Sophia and Chora Monastery conversion into mosques

Patriarch Bartholomew. Photo: orthodoxtimes.com

On August 23, 2020, Patriarch Bartholomew said during a sermon at the Panagia Faneromeni Monastery in Cyzicus that he had been “hurt” by the conversion of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Monastery into mosques, Orthodox Times reported.

The head of the Phanar noted that the cities of Cyzicus and Erdek had been stripped of their former glory: “There are no prosperous Orthodox communities, churches, monasteries, schools, and sacred institutions here any more. But there is the spirit of the Greeks, which was proved indestructible. We can feel it in the air every time we come here.”

At the end of his sermon, Patriarch Bartholomew referred to the recent conversion of Hagia Sophia and the Chora Church into mosques: “We were hurt by conversion of Hagia Sophia and Chora Church into mosques. These two unique monuments of Constantinople were built as Christian churches. They express the universal spirit of our faith as well as the love and hope of eternity.”

“We pray to the God of love, justice, and peace to enlighten the minds and hearts of those in charge,” the head of the Phanar concluded.

As previously reported by the UOJ, the head of the Phanar called Ukrainians his “beloved people.”

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