The bells will toll in mourning in all the churches of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America on July 24, the day when the first official Islamic prayer will take place in Hagia Sophia, while, at the same time, all the flags in the Greek Orthodox holy temples will fly at half-mast. This decision was made by the Holy Synod of the Archdiocese of America, which met by teleconference, chaired by Archbishop America of Elpidophoros.

The Holy Synod characterised July 24 as a day of mourning and intense sorrow for the “seizure of the Great Temple of Hagia Sophia, our Hagia Sophia”.