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Issues of the Day

Floor Speech

Date: July 24, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Religion Foreign Affairs

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Texas for yielding.

Madam Speaker, today is a sad and mournful day for worldwide Christians, the most persecuted believers on Earth.

In accordance with Turkish President Erdogan's grand plan to reconstitute the Ottoman Empire, the beautiful, majestic jewel of Christendom for nearly 1,000 years, Madam Speaker, the Hagia Sophia, Church of the Holy Wisdom, was converted to a mosque and Muslim religious services were observed there today.

As the Christian faithful and their houses of worship continue to dwindle in Turkey, this move by Erdogan was a step to extinguish Christianity once and for all, sadly. But it also poisons respect between religions and people of faith, Turkish citizens included.

Turkey must reestablish Hagia Sophia's status as a historic monument of universal significance and as an unquestioned symbol of respect between religions and among people.

The holy wisdom that we all call upon requires this approach, in the interests of common humanity and goodwill.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), my good friend, for yielding to me.

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