Should be interesting. Wish I could see it...
Posted on 08/30/2010 11:26:30 PM PDT by americanophile
Members of the “International Congregation of Agia Sophia” will make a pilgrimage to Agia Sofia in Istanbul in order to conduct divine liturgy on September 17, the day the Orthodox Church celebrates the holy feast day of Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love.
During a press conference in Thessaloniki, the President of the International Congregation, Chris Spirou, said that the Prime Minister of Turkey, Tayyip Erdoğan, has already been informed in writing.
“The purpose of our Congregation�s visit is to conduct Holy Liturgy Services in the the Great Church of Christianity, the Symbol of the Orthodox Christian Faith”, was written in the letter. After he was asked, whether the Greek Department of Foreign Affairs has been notified about this, Mr. Spirou said that it isn�t a political issue and that “no government has the right to interfere with religion and to appoint religious leaders”.
The “International Congregation of Agia Sophia” was founded in 2005 and is a USA-based non-profit organization. Its purpose is to restore the Agia Sophia as a place of worship.
The organisation�s thousands of members worldwide include followers of other religions and denominations.
Should be interesting. Wish I could see it...
A beautiful view which hasn’t existed for well over 500 years.
God protect them in this pilgrimage into the heart of the enemies of Christ.
May the church one day be restored!
Return the second Rome to the Christians, please.
May the good Lord bless and protect this wondrous event. As always, I pray we are soon reconciled with so much in common. Both events are long overedue.
I would not think that the Turkish Government would let them do this particularly now, with the Islamists on the rise.
It is a MIRACLE that this is even is allowed to take place at all, period, considering that Turkey is as you are posting is seeing the return of very strict Islam.
Godspeed to the pilgrimage and the pilgrims.
My question is if this action is sanctioned by the competent ecclesiastical authority?
bump!
“My question is if this action is sanctioned by the competent ecclesiastical authority?”
I was wondering the exact same thing when I read this article. The appropriate authority would be the Patriarch of Constantinople. I sincerely doubt, given the recent progress on increased freedom for Orthodoxy in Turkey, that the EP has given his nihil obstat to what appears to be a publicity stunt which could have an adverse impact on relations between the Patriarchate and the Erdogan government.
No one on these threads wants the Divine Liturgy chanted in Agia Sophia more than I do. Members of my family were there, in the early morning hours of May 29, 1453, for the final Liturgy when the Turks, having overwhelmed the defenses on the Walls and having killed the Emperor battered down the doors of the Great Church and raped and pillaged their way through the congregation. Our families don’t let any of that be forgotten.
Wow, your family does go back a long way!
... meanwhile the leftists in the USA are scolding anyone with the temerity to question the appropriateness of the Islamicists building a victory mosque on the site of the World Trade Center.
Bump!
I will see this mosaic before I die. It is the principal item on my bucket list..
There’s been a computer image analysis of this mosaic and the Shroud of Turin, with something like 60 points of similarity—basically statistically impossible if one was not copied from the other...
Meaning this portrait was very likely taken directly from the Shroud of Turin, and therefore, quite possibly, is a fairly accurate portrait of Christ.
I doubt that they will allow it at all, or, that the International Congregation of Hagia Sophia has any illusions that they will.
However, it will hopefully garner some attention into how "tolerant" even moderate Muslims are for real...
If the Turks can violently try to bash through a blockade Israel has set up to protect themselves from terrorism, than lets see how they react to peaceful Christians merely trying to worship...
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