Istanbul

Court considers status of Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia
- Jul 2, 2020
A state attorney on Thursday recommended that Turkey’s highest administrative court reject a request that Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia, which now serves as museum, be turned back into a mosque, state-run media reported.

By Associated Press
Museum or mosque? Turkey debates iconic Hagia Sofia’s status
- Jul 1, 2020
In its more than 1,400-year existence, the majestic domed structure of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has served as the Byzantine Empire’s main cathedral, a mosque under the Ottoman Empire and a museum under modern Turkey, attracting millions of tourists each year.

By Suzan Fraser and Ayse Wieting
In wake of Istanbul, pope calls for end to ‘scourge of terrorism’
- Jan 1, 2017
In his noontime Angelus address on New Year’s Day, Pope Francis extolled peace and reconciliation but also acknowledged the realities of an oft-violent world, expressing his closeness in prayer to the dead and injured and their families in a New Year’s Eve attack on a nightclub in Istanbul.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Pope asks God to ‘convert the hearts’ of terrorists after Istanbul attack
- Jun 29, 2016
In response to the terrorist attack on the Istanbul airport, Pope Francis on Wednesday denounced the “heinous” assault, expressed solidarity with the “dear Turkish people,” and asked God to “convert the hearts of the violent.”

By Elise Harris, CNA
Pope lays out aggressive vision for UN summit
- May 23, 2016
ROME — Addressing a first-ever World Humanitarian Summit in Turkey on Monday, Pope Francis laid out an aggressive vision for global action, insisting that the “gods” of money and power must not deafen the world to “the cry of the victims and those suffering.” In a message to the U.N.-sponsored event,

By Inés San Martín
Vatican confirms Pope Francis to visit Turkey
- Oct 21, 2014
ROME – Pope Francis will travel to Turkey Nov. 28-30, the Vatican announced Tuesday, though it remains unclear whether the pontiff will be able to travel near the border with Iraq to express his concern with the violence in the region, as he’s expressed an interest in doing. The Rev.

By John L. Allen Jr.