Archbiship Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece condemned the decision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert the World Heritage monument of Hagia Sophia into a mosque as an affront to all civilized peoples.
In statements to Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA), Archbishop Ieronymos said, "Turning religion into a tool for party, geopolitical, and geostrategic purposes reflects on the person attempting it. The affront and hubris are not related to Orthodoxy and Christianity alone, but to the entire civilized world, to every thinking person regardless of religion."