Pope Francis celebrates the Mass of Saint Peter and Paul, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican. [AFP]Pope Francis said on Sunday he was hurt by Turkey's decision to make Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum a mosque, the latest religious leader to condemn the move. I think of Santa Sophia and I am very pained," he said during his weekly blessing in St. Peter's Square. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said the first prayers would be held in Hagia Sophia on July 24, after declaring the ancient monument was once again a mosque following a court ruling revoking its status as a museum. SEE ALSO: Pope calls for end to 'pandemic of poverty' after virusErdogan said the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, which was once a Christian cathedral, would remain open to Muslims, Christians and foreigners.

Source: Standard Digital July 12, 2020 10:52 UTC