ppe benedict xvi Prompted To Push Return Of Agia Sofia To EP
Anyone who has visited Ayia Sophia will tell you that it is well beyond repair or usability. It would virtually have to be gutted, knocked down, and re-built costing more money than I care to imagine.
Over and over I have seen this call to re-open this building as a church. I cannot help but wonder why - in a city that barely has 3000 Christians left it is hardly even a Christian outpost much less a "Christian capital". And no doubt if it were to be rebuilt there would be a strong Muslim nationalist hot-head backlash - I mean, it is a muslim city at this point. Bartholomew has a hand grenade lobbed over the wall almost every other month, it is a wonder that he is still around.
In conclusion, is there any practical purpose in re-building this building really, or is this just some dream of worldly recognition and power? Why not focus on restoring the EP and an Orthodox Patriarchate before there is any talk of the grandest Orthodox building in the most unorthodox part of the world. It is amazing how people care so much about bricks and care almost nothing about the REAL purpose of the bricks, the truth.
Monuments
Sometimes monuments testify of the Truth. Just as the hope of the Jews is to rebuild the temple, for us our "heaven on earth" means that much. For centuries we have awaited the time to place the cross back atop Agia Sophia and take back the city and restore the empire. It is a symbol of a hope and an ideology. In my evolution, I have found that it isn't so much important to restore the Russian monarchy as it is to restore the empire and the commonwealth. It is only hateful when uniates, apostates and heretics, hope to coopt it.
R
No offense, but I would sooner help build the temple of soloman than Ayia Sophia - at lease the Jews are open about there hatred for Christ, whereas Bart is worse than a thief.
People should be mustering support for Esphigmenou before the whole of Mt. Athos (a real spiritual center) falls completley too.
phanariots
there is a strange quality of phanariots--they tend to pliable to those who rule the city. Did someone say +bartholomew would remain Patriarch? Why, one of the abbots of Esphigmenou could fill that role, couldn't they?! LOL!
R