Hagia Sofia

[xristos.anesti]

Please, go onto this link and sign yourself on for restauration of the Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople back to the status of the Church.

http://www.hagiasophiablog.com/mainpage.html

Also, I beg you to post this link on as many boards as possible.

God bless you all.

[Lotar]

There aren't even enough Christians left in Constantinople to make any use of it, or even keep it in good repair. I think the Hagia Sophia is one of the lesser problems with Turky...

[graysparrow]

But just imagine having the opportunity to celebrate liturgy there if only once! :)

Yes I'm not an Orthodox.

[Marjorie]

I doubt any petition would get the EU to do anything, but I signed it.

In IC XC,
Marjorie

[Axion]

It's probably best, if I may say, NOT to start raising issues around St Sophia.

There are very few Christians left in Constantinople/Istanbul, and an overwhelming muslim presence. As long as Constantinople remains under Turkish muslim rule there is NO chance of it being turned back into a working church. The pressure is all the other way from extremist muslims who would like to tear down the icons and turn it back into a working mosque.

Its status as a museum has allowed the icons to be exposed and preserved, and for Christians to visit and pray quietly there. Islam has a rule that any building once used as a mosque must remain a mosque for ever, so they would never permit such a famous building to become a place of Christian worship. Raising the issue would merely cause a backlash from the extreme muslims, and the St Sophia would get desecrated or hijacked.

[Konstantinos]

Yes there are only 5000 of us left. :( BUT IF Halki re opens I know of many famelies who will start to move back. There are many Exiles in Xanthi and Alexandroupoli. plus many other cities. Plus IF HAlki reopens There will be an Increasing Orthodox presence flooding into Turkey. They havent Won yet!! :D

[Konstantinos]

At least were up from 2500 3 years ago :D

[Veritas]

Although I would like to see the Church restored, I agree with other's that even if it's possible (which it likely wouldn't be) there's not enough of a Christian presense there. I think it's important to point out that this beautiful church was built while we were all still ONE, even if there were two center's. So I consider this great Church to be a part of the Church Universal's heritage.

As an aside, I have an antique wall tapestry hanging in my living room of Constantinople. Featured of course, is the Hagia Sofia in the scene. The cording and tassles contain 10K gold wire (somewhat weighty I might add) This tapestry is no doubt quite valuable, but it's worth to me is priceless. It'll never be on Ebay.:) One of the reason's I named my dog Sofie was because of this Church (the other being Sophia Loren! and the fact that I wanted a "wise" dog)

[Athonite]

From the blog site:

Hagia Sophia, an essential element of Christianity, a second Jerusalem, the most revolutionary and daring church conceived in Christendom, has been turned into a museum considerably impaired by the loss of all its Christian furnishings and much of its original setting and atmosphere.... For as long as the injustice done to the soul of Hagia Sophia is ignored and forgotten Christianity cannot be whole. Hagia Sophia’s reason for existing is vitally important to restoring religious integrity.

Im sorry, but the body of Christ is not a building. You could destroy every church building on earth, and the body of Christ would still remain pure, spotless, and whole.

[minasoliman]

I share with your concern on how churches are taken away like this, and I signed in hopes that this church may be restored into the hands of the Eastern Orthodox.

God bless.

[Xpycoctomos]

I signed it for the principle of it. The EU does not care about Christianity, much less the Hagia Sophia. The EU is fully aware of Turkey's abuses against non-Muslim religions, and quite frankly, they show very little concern for this. The last thing they are going to want to do is upset the Islamic world, especially for some "silly religious thing".

By the way, I've always been wondering: have governments ever cared about Internet petitions? They are so easily forgeable. Even if the EU did care about Christianity, I would find it odd if they made any decision based on an Internet petition. Maybe I'm wrong though. This one seems a little better since it is stationary and not some chain e-mail. Those are dumb.

John

[Kolya]

By the way, I've always been wondering: have governments ever cared about Internet petitions?
John

I don't think any Governments care about petitions, marches, or whatever. We had two protest marches coming through town in the last month, and its just business as usual - so much hot air!

[Xpycoctomos]

But even if they did care... why would they care about an Internet petition. I wouldn't.

[Kolya]

But even if they did care... why would they care about an Internet petition. I wouldn't.

Quite so. They're a dime a dozen, and worth squat. I get one nearly every week. The latest is to push our Govt to be tougher on Mugabe - who cares? Who's listening? Nobody!

[Franze]

If we collect 1 million of signals, we will get something, I am catholic and I would like that building was a church. And these things are necessary, fighting is necessary.

[VickiY]

If we collect 1 million of signals, we will get something, I am catholic and I would like that building was a church. And these things are necessary, fighting is necessary.

Sorry, Franze, if we collect TEN million signatures, we will still get nothing. The Turks simply do not care what those outside their country and their faith think. The refuse to reopen Halki, and they certainly will not allow Haghia Sophia to be used as a church after being used as a mosque. It is against the laws of their faith, and, frankly, if the more secular Turks decided to turn it over to the Phanar, the more extremist elements in Islam would bomb it into mere memory minutes afterwards.

I've been there, and it is awe-inspiring. I'd rather see it as it stands, a monument, if you will, to the dangers of Islam and the need for Christian unity against Islam than to see a pile of rubble. *Of course, I'd like to see ever muslim converted to Orthodoxy, but that isn't likely to happen either.

Vicki

[xristos.anesti]

Out all of you that answered, 2 Roman Catholics and a Copt were positive about it..

Thanks alot.

Mod, can you please lock this thread? Thanks.

[Marjorie]

Out all of you that answered, 2 Roman Catholics and a Copt were positive about it..

Thanks alot.

Mod, can you please lock this thread? Thanks.

John (Xrysostomos) and I both said we signed it...

In IC XC,
Marjorie

[Xpycoctomos]

Well, my point was separate from the fact that the EU and the Turkish government does not care one bit. I believe that, but even if they did care, I don't think it makes much sense to follow an Internet petition, especially when you don't even have to leave an address or anything. And really, the EU shouldn't really care what non EU members think about their policies. the US gov doesn't care about anyone else's opinion (it's questionable if they even care about ours, except for votes).

John

[Rilian]

I signed it yesterday.

[Eusebios]

request of OP.