The Commander of the Order of the Lords, Antonios Lymberakis, on the sixth anniversary of the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosquetranslated

Dr. writes. Antonios I. Lymberakis,

Archon Grand Actuary – National Commander, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

On July 24, 2026, the Directorate of Communication of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey commemorated the sixth anniversary of Hagia Sophia's conversion from a museum to an active mosque with a public program entitled "Hagia Sophia: A Monument of Conquest, the Heart of a Civilization that Transcends the Centuries."

Speaking at the event, the Presidency's communications chief described the 2020 conversion as "a strong expression of faith" in Sultan Mehmet II's act of endowment and characterized the history of the building exclusively in military and cultural terms — as "an indication of the conquest of Istanbul" and proof that Turkey is part of a triumphant "Islamic civilization."

As the National Commander of the Lords of the Ecumenical Patriarchate — the lay order instituted by His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the defense of religious freedom, human rights and the institutional integrity of the Mother Church of Orthodox Christianity — I issue this…