In a laconic report on the occasion of the International Day for the Protection of the Sea, Pope Francis stressed: "The sea goes a long way in my thinking, it goes to Istanbul and Hagia Sophia, and I am in great pain."
The pope's intervention took place despite the fact that almost all observers predicted that it would not take place so as not to create problems for the small Catholic community living in Turkey.
What is Erdogan seeking?
The decision of the Turkish Council of State (CoE) issued on Friday overturns the decision of Ataturk. And although, according to Bloomberg, it was less dramatic than the fall of Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to present it as a "historic moment" for his country.
It is no coincidence that the Turkish president chose July 24 to open the Hagia Sophia for prayer. This is the same day that the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in 1923, which has been challenged so many times in the recent past by Erdogan.
"For conservative Turks, turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque is a historic moment," said Mustafa Akiol, an analyst at the Cato Institute, a US-based think tank specializing in Islam.
"They believe in what they call the 'right of the sword,' that is, the right to turn the church into a mosque as a result of the conquest (s.s. of Istanbul)," the analyst told Bloomberg, adding:
"Turkey has the sovereign right to do whatever it wants. But I ask them: what will they do if Israel does something at the Al-Aqsa Mosque? Will this also be a "sword's right"?
Hagia Sophia is not, of course, the only Christian church or mosque that changes status.
The large mosque in Cordoba, Spain, was converted into a Christian church years ago. But what is the difference?
"Muslim images remain for everyone to see," explains Akiol, adding that Islam does not allow Christian iconography and it remains unclear what will happen to them in Hagia Sophia.
On Friday, Erdogan said Hagia Sophia would "retain its status as a cultural heritage site" while Turkish media reports said the paintings would be covered with curtains or wooden screens and that lighting technology would be used to "hide". during prayer.
Expected and political decision
For many analysts around the world, Erdogan's decision was rather expected and, of course, political.
As was the decision of Ataturk, who paved the way for the signing of a defense agreement with Greece, in a particularly difficult period.
Erdogan's popularity has been on the decline lately, largely due to the economic woes Turkey is facing, and he seems to believe that turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque will boost his profile.
"This move by Erdogan is very likely to exacerbate the already troubled relations with Greece, for which Hagia Sophia has a special weight and is considered one of the most important monuments of Orthodoxy," explains Bloomberg, adding that recently relations of the two countries are tense.
"It is a shocking decision for a number of reasons," said James Kerr Lindsey, a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a specialist in security in south-eastern Europe.
"It simply contributes to the deterioration of the relations between Athens and Ankara that we have seen in recent years and it is something that is done deliberately to level the last nuggets of trust," he stressed.
British Observer columnist Kenan Malik adds another dimension to the Turkish president's provocative decision.
"The stones, columns and mosaics of Hagia Sophia reflect the complexity of Turkish and European history, the traditions of Christianity and Islam. Its mere existence undermines Erdogan's attempt to free history from this complexity and create a unique, mythical past. "