On 15 March 2012, he declared that, All churches in the Arabian Peninsula must be destroyed. This declaration caused criticism from some Christian officeholders. Roman Catholic bishops in Germany and Austria responded sharply to his fatwa, concerned about the human rights of non-Muslims working in the Arabian Gulf region. Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Mark Archbishop of Yegoryevsk said the ruling was alarming. Most of the world overlooked the statement. Mehmet Görmez, the most senior imam in Turkey, another Sunni Muslim country, blasted the Saudi grand mufti's call to destroy all the churches in the Persian Gulf region, saying that the announcement totally contradicted the peaceful teachings of the Muslim religion. Görmez, the president of Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Presidency of Religious Affairs), said he could not accept the Islamic religious order—fatwa—issued by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, adding that the mufti's declaration ran contrary to the centuries-old Islamic teachings of tolerance and the sanctity of institutions belonging to other religions.