In the News

Archbishop, Metropolitan join hands for religious freedom

Catholic San Francisco
08/06/2020

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and Metropolitan Gerasimos of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco have written a joint letter urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to support a House measure in solidarity with persecuted Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt.

The prelates also issued a joint statement mourning the recent conversion of the historic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, from a museum into a mosque, saying “this egregious decision continues to be lamented throughout the world.”

In their July 31 letter to Pelosi, the church leaders requested her help in bringing House Resolution 49 to the House floor for a vote.

“The resolution is written to support religious freedom for the Coptic Orthodox Christians in Egypt, who continue to face terrorism, persecution, and discrimination,” they said. “The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released a video calling Copts their ‘favorite prey’ and signaled they would increase attacks.”

They said violence against Coptic Christians, particularly in local villages, is rarely punished and this makes Copts more susceptible to attacks.

They noted that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states that there is approximately one mosque for every 820 Muslims and one church for every 2,430 Christians.

Rep. French Hill (R-Arkansas) introduced House Resolution 49, Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt. Rep. David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island), Rep. Louis J. Correa (D-California), and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Illinois) signed onto the legislation as original co-sponsors. The resolution currently has 76 co-sponsors from both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Currently, the resolution is stalled in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In their joint letter on Hagia Sophia, Archbishop Cordileone and Metropolitan Gerasimos said the decision to convert the museum to a mosque and open it for Islamic prayer July 24 “continues to be lamented throughout the world. In our mourning, we pray that this does not become the harbinger of future acts in Turkey that place religious minorities at risk.”

Hagia Sophia was built as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and stood as the seat of Eastern Christianity for a thousand years before Ottoman Turks conquered its host city and turned it into a mosque in 1453. In 1934, it was designated as a museum revered as a symbol of Christian and Muslim unity until being transformed into a mosque this July.

They said “the world has spoken unequivocally” against the conversion.

“Religious leaders and groups, such as Pope Francis, the World Council of Churches, the Islamic Society of North America and others have spoken against this action,” they said. “Governments across the world continue to voice their opposition, including the recent United States House of Representatives Resolution 7608. We are grateful for all these voices of support and ask that all members of our communities continue to press that Hagia Sophia’s status as a museum be restored so that all people may experience the splendor of this treasure of the world.”

The joint statement continued:

“Hagia Sophia has been open and accessible to all for over eight decades and needs to be restored as a museum and remain as a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. By blatantly disregarding this decision, the Republic of Turkey is not only violating an agreement but they are denying the universal value of Hagia Sophia for future generations.

“Hagia Sophia will always be the greatest cathedral in all Christendom. The Great Church, as it is called, is an architectural and engineering masterpiece, and most especially an important part of our heritage as Christians. What took place within the Great Church affected the entire Christian world. After its conversion as a mosque in 1453 after the fall of Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia influenced all mosques built after.

“We continue to be united in prayer that this decision may still be reversed. We pray that the integrity of the Byzantine and Christian treasures of the church will not be sullied. Until such time, we will fervently raise our voices for religious tolerance and against religious persecution and beseech the Lord for the protection of Hagia Sophia.”