The Episcopal Church joins with the Anglican Communion/Archbishop of Canterbury … our ecumenical and interfaith partners in calling on the Turkish government to maintain the status quo with Hagia Sophia remaining as an open cultural and heritage site for all.

As members of the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, we reiterate their positions and stand in solidarity alongside our partners, the Islamic Society of North America.

We offer these statements, linked below, from Christian and Muslim partners, and from the Archbishop of Canterbury as one of the Presidents of Churches Together in England.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-07/angelus-pope-remembers-seafarers.html

https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/8046?fbclid=IwAR0WNugfiL4tHkSp91XNCD3ZCbO3sCiXUlJ3GXf6PU0egpjJvTEe-gqrHfM

https://www.goarch.org/-/the-holy-eparchial-synod-of-the-gree–orthodox-archdiocese-of-america

https://www.facebook.com/orthodoxobserver/posts/143354927390954

https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/statement-on-hagia-sophia-and-remember-srebrenica-genocide/

https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/wcc-letter-to-president-erdogan-to-keep-hagia-sophia-as-the-shared-heritage-of-humanity

https://www.cte.org.uk/Articles/583374/Home/News/Latest_news/Hagia_Sophia_CTE.aspx

https://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/news/latest-news/cte-presidents-statement-hagia-sophia