Pope pained as Istanbul museum reverts to mosque

Pope Francis has said he's "pained" by Turkey's decision to convert Istanbul's Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, reported British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The Roman Catholic leader made the remarks while speaking at a service in the Vatican saying that his "thoughts go to Istanbul".

Hagia Sophia was built as a Christian cathedral nearly 1,500 years ago and turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1453.

The Unesco World Heritage Site became a museum in 1934 under Turkish Republic founding father Ataturk.

But earlier this week a Turkish court annulled the site's museum status, saying its use as anything other than a mosque was "not possible legally".

Pope Francis confined himself to a few words on the issue: "My thoughts go to Istanbul. I think of Santa Sophia and I am very pained," said the BBC report

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the first Muslim prayers would be held in Hagia Sophia on July 24.

Click BBC to read the detail original report.