By 2018, official Chinese government statistics said there were 39 million Protestants in China. Scholars estimate that including house church worshipers pushes the real number to at least 80 million — almost 6% of China’s population, on par with Communist Party membership.
President Erdogan declared the building a mosque and said the first prayers would be held there within two weeks [Murad Sezer/Reuters]
Turkey to cover Hagia Sophia's Christian icons during prayers
Governing party's statement comes days after Ankara turned the iconic monument from a museum into a mosque.