Pope Francis voices distress over Turkey's Hagia Sophia conversion to mosque

Pope Francis said Sunday he was "very distressed" over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.

"My thoughts go to Istanbul. I'm thinking about Hagia Sophia. I am very distressed," the pope said.

A top Turkish court on Friday revoked the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia's status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque, according to reports.

The Council of State, which was debating a case brought by a Turkish NGO, cancelled a 1934 cabinet decision and ruled the UNESCO World Heritage site would be reopened to Muslim worshipping.

The proposal has been criticised by several religious and political leaders, including the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch, spirtual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, as well as Greece, France and the United States.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Greek government have also urged Turkey to keep the building as a museum. Converting Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia monument from a museum to a mosque would be “unacceptable”, a senior official in the Russian Orthodox Church said on Saturday.

Erdogan has described foreign criticism over the proposal as an attack on Turkey’s sovereignty. As 2023 approaches, this structure is his lifeboat in sailing through the ongoing economic crisis.