| And so they should, as the third Rome looking at the fate of the second one. |
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...'s decision to convert the iconic Hagia Sophia in Istanbul back into a mosque.
Turkey's move last week followed a court ruling that revoked the landmark's museum status, and has triggered a global outcry.The Russian Orthodox Church had already expressed dismay at the decision.
In a comment on the foreign ministry's website, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow "noted with regret" Ankara's decision regarding the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Initially a Byzantine cathedral, it had already been used as a mosque before becoming a museum, which conferred a religious detachment that has now been severed.
On Friday, Russian Orthodox front man Vladimir Legoida said "the concern of millions of Christians were not heard" by
Zakharova's comment came after deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin told news hounds that Moscow viewed the move as "an internal