Pope Francis was hurt with the Turkish President's decision that makes Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum became a mosque

News24xx.com - The decision of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to make Istanbul's Hagia Sophia museum a mosque makes Pope Francis was hurt and the religious leader condemn the move.

"My thoughts go to Istanbul. I think of Santa Sophia and I am very pained," he said during his weekly blessing in St. Peter's Square.

Erdogan has said the first prayers would be held in Hagia Sophia on July 24, after declaring the ancient monument was once again a mosque following a court ruling revoking its status as a museum.

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The World Council of Churches has called on Erdogan to reverse his decision and Patriarch Bartholomew, the Istanbul-based spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, called it disappointing.

Erdogan said the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Hagia Sophia, which was once a Christian cathedral, would remain open to Muslims, Christians, and foreigners.

He added that Turkey had exercised its sovereign right in converting it to a mosque and would interpret criticism of the move as an attack on its independence.

Greece has condemned the move and UNESCO said its World Heritage Committee would review Hagia Sophia's status and that Turkey's decision raised questions about the impact on its universal value as a site of importance transcending borders and generations.