Muslims Want to Use Hagia Sophia in Trebizond as a Mosque

Currently being considered is how to hide the Christian frescoes with curtains in the church of Trabzon (13th century) during Islamic religious services because of the ban on images in Islam.

Istanbul (kath.net / CBA / red) The authorities in Trabzon in northeast Turkey, want to share an old Byzantine church for Islamic worship. Currently being given is how they could disguise the Christian frescoes in the Hagia Sophia of Trabzon during Islamic worship because of the ban on images of carpets, Turkish media reported on Monday.

Much like the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, it was built in the 13th century in Trabzon as a church, and was later converted into a mosque and finally declared a museum. In the case of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, the authorities have in recent years repeatedly rejected the demand of Islamic groups seeking permission for Islamic services in the sacred building.

In 2006, an Italian priest Father Andrea Santoro, was murdered in another church in Trabzon. He was praying, kneeling on Sunday in his church, as the 16-year-old student, OUzhan Adkin, shot and killed him with two bullets from behind. As the bullets penetrated the priest’s back, Akdin had exclaimed loudly, "Allahu Akbar," "God is great", kath.net reported . Santoro's mother forgave the murderer of her son. The killer appears to be still serving his 18-year prison sentence for "premeditated murder”.

Link to kath.net...

Relics of St. Maximus the Confessor to Move to Bulgaria from Mount Athos

[novite.com] The relics of the great Christian Orthodox theologian St. Maximus the Confessor will travel from Mount Athos and be laid out for veneration in the patriarchal St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia Sunday.

The relics of St. Maximus will be laid out for veneration after 1.30 pm, after the end of the official solemn mass commemorating the 40th anniversary of the enthronement of Bulgarian Patriarch Maxim.

The relics St. Maximus are kept at the St. Paul Monastery in Mount Athos and only rarely travel abroad. Up to Thursday, they will visit other places in Bulgaria, making stops at Silistra, Varna and Plovdiv.

St. Maximus the Confessor lived 580-662, being born in Constantinople and died in exile in Georgia. He is considered one of the greates theologians in the Eastern Orthodox world, having laid down key percepts of christian philosophy in the East.

Link to article...here

Turkish Authorities Considering the Reopening of Hagia Sophia for Christian Worship

The director of the state sponsored Islamic Research Center has made a new proposal toward reopening buildings for religious purposes.

Ankara [kath.net/KAP] In the newly burning conflict surrounding Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, a leading adviser of the Turkish Religious Office has proposed that the historical Church should be open for Muslim prayers on workdays and for Christian Liturgies on Sundays. This could go a long way to solving the tug of war surrounding the Hagia Sophia which won't just be a comprise, said Mehmet Akif Aydin, director of the State sponsored Research Center (ISAM), to "Zaman" (Tuesday). One such solution would also reinforce the bonds between Muslims and Christians and the readiness of both faith communities to coexist more peacefully.

Although the Hagia Sofia has not been used for more than 80 years for religious purposes, more recently attempts of Islamic and Christian groups have advocated prayers or religious services under her domes.

The Church, built in the Fourth Century was for a millennium, the most important Church in Christendom. After the sack of Constantinople in 1453 by the Ottomans it served another 500 years as the most important mosque in the Ottoman Empire.

In the Turkish Republic the building served as a cultural monument since 1934. In order to avoid inter religious conflict, it has been since then no longer permitted to be used for religious purposes -- neither Christian nor Muslim.

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