Their deepest sorrow and disapproval of the Turkish government's decision to "change the status of the world-famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and turn this unique monument of human and divine achievement into a mosque again.",………… express in a joint statement, the Archbishop of America Hopeful and the Catholic Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, as brothers in Christ and leaders of the respective religious communities of the city.
As they note in their joint statement, "Hagia Sophia has been for almost a millennium, not only the largest church in the world, but also the largest edifice. Its purpose was to be the most unique and cat’ a place of Christian worship in the Universe. When the Roman Empire closed its circle after its fall and the Great Church of Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque, this was a time when human history was advancing through violence, but that's not the way we live today. ".
The two ecclesiastical leaders further emphasize that "the creation of the modern state of Turkey is synonymous with the secular ideal of the integration of all, regardless of discrimination. With the change of the status of Hagia Sophia from a mosque to a museum, President Kemal Ataturk ‘emerged’ this world monument as a symbol of transition from a theocratic empire to a secular state, which honored the equality of all its citizens "note the two religious leaders and conclude:
"We reaffirm the wisdom of Ataturk's decision and call on the Turkish government to reverse its current policy of changing the status of Hagia Sophia.. We stand united as brothers in the faith and in solidarity with all people of good will and good faith, so that the Hagia Sophia remains what it really is, ie. story meeting symbol, spiritual ascension and human achievement of the highest level to the glory of the one and only God, which made us all brothers and sisters of a human family ".