ISTANBUL - Turkey's Hagia Sophia will open to visitors outside prayer times and its Christian icons will remain, religious officials said on Tuesday , after a court ruling paved the way for it to become a mosque.
The decision sparked condemnation from Western governments, Russia and Christian leaders - Pope Francis saying he was"very distressed". Diyanet said in a statement on Tuesday that the Christian icons in Hagia Sophia were"not an obstacle to the validity of the prayers". "There is no obstacle from a religious perspective to Hagia Sophia Mosque being open to visitors outside prayer times," the statement added.
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