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Patriarch Kirill makes special statement on status of Hagia Sophia

06 July 2020 21:29 (UTC +04:00)

Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill has made a special statement on the status of Hagia Sophia monument, situated in Istanbul, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports.

Patriarch Kirill has called on Turkish authority to keep museum status of the Hagia Sophia monument.

“I hope for judgment ability of the state authority of Turkey. Maintenance of the current, neutral status of Hagia Sophia monument, which is one of the masterpieces of the Christian culture and considered a temple symbol for millions of Christians in the world, will improve relations between Russia and Turkey further, strengthen peace and harmony among religions. A threat to Hagia Sophia is a threat to the whole Christian civilization. It is a threat to our spirituality and history. Hagia Sophia has been a great Christian shrine for every Russian orthodox person so far. TIt is a duty of every civilised state to maintain balance: to reconcile the society, and not aggravate discords in it; to help unite people, and not divide them”, noted in the statement of Patriarch Kirill’s statement.