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Pope Leo visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque

2025-11-29 17:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Pope Leo visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque

Pope Leo XIV has visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, in his first visit to a Muslim place of worship since assuming the papacy in May.

The Pope was seen bowing as he entered the building, but he reportedly did not pray in the mosque, as his two predecessors had done.

The Vatican said in a statement that Leo undertook the tour "in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer."

The Pope is on a four-day trip to Turkey, after which he will visit Lebanon.

The Blue Mosque is officially named in honor of Sultan Ahmed I, the leader of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617, who oversaw its construction.

It is decorated with thousands of blue and turquoise ceramic tiles and welcomes millions of visitors every year.

Pope Francis prayed there in 2014, and Pope Benedict XVI did so in 2006.

The first pope to officially enter a mosque was John Paul II, who made history when he visited the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus in 2001.

The papal visit to Turkey and Lebanon was planned by the late Pope Francis, but its theme of building bridges was embraced by Pope Leo from the moment he stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica after his election in May.

At the start of his trip, he warned that the world should not succumb to a high level of global conflict, adding that the future of humanity is at stake.

In Lebanon, where an estimated one-third of the country is Christian, he is expected to meet with more religious leaders and hear from young people.

On the last day of the trip, he will celebrate Mass on the Beirut coast, at the site of the 2020 port explosion, praying for the more than 200 people killed and 7,000 others injured./ CNA, translated by BBC





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