Divine Liturgy at Hagia Sophia September 17

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A.Pelliccio

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Is anyone aware of this “upcoming” liturgy to be celebrated in the Hagia Sophia on September 17? I look in news feeds and can not find anything to corroborate this. I do not assume this is done with the permission of the Turkish government, is this an act of civil disobedience? How many people are expected to turn out?

freeagiasophia.org/?p=314

freeagiasophia.org/?p=627

I fully support the movement to return the Hagia Sophia to Christendom, any eagerly prayer for an event such as this.

Many thanks,

Anthony
 
Did a quick Google search, found this.
Members of the “International Congregation of Agia Sophia” will make a pilgrimage to Agia Sofia in Istanbul in order to conduct the Divine Liturgy on September 17.
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During a press conference, the President of the International Congregation, Chris Spirou, said that the Prime Minister of Turkey, Tayyip Erdoğan, has already been informed in writing. source]
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It seems like a unilateral decision, not something like Pope John Paul II visiting Cuba under Castro’s sanction. We’ll have to see if it actually takes place.
 
Here is a short bio of the leader of the “International Congregation of Agia Sophia."
Chris Spirou was born in the town of Porti in the Prefecture of Karditsa, Province of Thessaly, Greece and migrated in 1956, at the age of 13, to the United States of America. He is a graduate of Saint Anselmʼs College, Manchester, New Hampshire and holds a Masterʼs Degree in Urban Studies and Social Change from Goddard College, Vermont.
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Mr. Spirou lectured on “Process of Practical Politics” at several institutions of higher learning, including Harvard and Dartmouth Universities and has taught the course as an adjunct Professor at New Hampshire College.
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His political career started in 1970 when he was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
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In a short time, he rose to become the House Democratic Leader in the New Hampshire House. In 1984, Chris Spirou was the Democratic Nominee for Governor in New Hampshire.
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greeknewsonline.com/?p=8936

I dunno about this planned liturgy. It seems as if it will primarily involve persons who don’t live in Turkey. They will hold a Christian service, declare victory, and then go home. But the small number of Christians in Turkey will have to pay the real price, since such an action will likely inflame extremists who will take out their anger on them.

I think this one-time service which will stir up unrest and poison the well for any possible officially approved Christian worship service. Perhaps a better use of time and money would be to organize a continuing fund for the renovation of Hagia Sophia - which is badly needed.
Huge sections of ceiling are peeling and flaking, stained by water seepage and discolored by age and uneven exposure to light. Acres of stucco must be replaced. Windows must be repaired, new glass installed, warped frames replaced. Hundreds of marble panels, now grime-encrusted, must be cleaned. Irreplaceable mosaics must somehow be restored and protected.
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“At this point, we don’t even know how much consolidation and restoration the building needs, much less how much it would cost,” says Verkin Arioba, founder of the Historical Heritage Protection Foundation of Turkey, which has called for an international campaign to save the monument. “How do we approach it? How should the work be prioritized? First we need to assess how much damage has been done to the building. Then we’ll at least know what must be done.”
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smithsonianmag.com/travel/Fading-Glory.html?c=y&page=3

If Christians organize the restoration and preservation of Hagia Sophia, surely their effort and accomplishment would win favor with the Turkish government.
 
I pray the Church be restored to its rightful owners…the Orthodox Christians.
 
I have been listening to public debates on you-know-what…

There is no leverage…for balance…we need to restore our churches in Muslim countries, but so much Hagia Sophia…where would we be if the Vatican ended up in the same position?

The USA would be the one to do this as it had its ship stand by witnessing the burning of Smyrna in 1922 by Turkey.
 
KathleenGee said:
The USA would be the one to do this as it had its ship stand by witnessing the burning of Smyrna in 1922 by Turkey.
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That’s like saying Europe should pay Russia for damages done during the Soviet Union because they had troops in revolution-era Russia but pulled out.
 
Yes…and when the USA tries to bring up the Armenian atrocities, it already hears that its friendship with Turkey could be broken…

Thus we can never find any peace or justice in this world, but in the next.
 
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