The Turkish Minister for Religion Ali Bardakoglu has spoken in favor of regular Christian services in the Church of St. Paul on the homeland of the Apostle in Tarsus (Cilicia), where the museum is located, RIA Novosti reports, citing the Austrian agency Kathpress.
Bardakoglu said that on his visits to Western countries it is hard for him to explain why the church was turned into a museum. He added that he had taken certain steps to make the Church of St. Paul a cultural building.
The church was built in Tarsus in the 6th century and was finally reconstructed in early 19th century. It was confiscated by the Turkish government in 1943.
