Turkey's top religion official supports opening of St Paul's Church

Turkey's chief official for religious affairs Tuesday called for the reopening of the historic St Paul's Church in the birthplace of the saint in the south of the country, supporting a long-running Christian initiative.

In an interview to the Turkish daily Milliyet that was confirmed by his office, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) in Ankara, Ali Bardakoglu said: "I would prefer if the church was used as a church, not as a museum."

Turkey had the duty to ensure religious freedoms on its own territory, Bardakoglu said. He pointed out that there were more than 3,000 mosques in Europe, and that he was alarmed about the ban of minarets declared in Switzerland after a referendum in November 2009.

"If the place is a holy site for Christians and they want to conduct religious services there, then there is no reason for a ban," he said.

The church of St Paul's in Tarsus, a building dating back to the 12th century, was confiscated by Turkey in 1943 and used as a warehouse.

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