Baptist, I study the Bible and stay away from churches as much as possible.We are in the Age of Grace, thank God!  Regardless, Assad wants to keep his people happy and as harmonious as possible. I think replicating the Hagia Sophia Church is more about the ongoing middle eastern purge and his respect for the Christian religions (albeit Catholic in this case) and their God than anything to do with the Pope and Vatican criminal enterprise. He may in essense be inviting those tormented middle eastern Christians to migrate to Syria where they will be safe.