Recep Tayyip Erdogan received applause from supporters when the iconic Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul was turned back into a mosque. It was the symbolic act of a year in which the Turkish President’s assertive foreign policy pleased many of his supporters, but created tensions in the region and with the EU. Some saw Erdogan’s strategy as a dangerous attempt to divert attention from the country’s economic turmoil, worsened by the free fall of the lira and the impact of the pandemic. The Hagia Sophia rebirth as a mosque drew criticism from the Pope, while Greek Orthodox church leaders held vigils for "a day of mourning".