US EditionPope Leo Xiv Takes Off His Shoes, but Appears Not to Have Prayed on His First Visit to a Mosque
Pope Leo XIV toured Istanbul's Blue Mosque without praying to promote Christian-Muslim unity; Turkey's Catholic community numbers 33,000 in a largely Sunni Muslim population, Vatican said.
- On November 29, 2025, Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's Sultanahmet Mosque, focusing on bolstering ties with Orthodox leaders, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and promoting Christian unity.
- The Vatican added the mosque stop at the last minute as a gesture to reach out to Muslims in mainly Muslim Turkey, chosen to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Church council.
- During the roughly 20-minute tour, Pope Leo removed his shoes and toured the mosque in white socks, led by Askin Musa Tunca and the mufti, with the imam present.
- The Holy See corrected its record after Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni described the visit as silent and contemplative, contradicting eyewitness accounts and the initial statement that prayer occurred.
- Against Turkey's religious backdrop , Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical and regional Christian leaders vowed courageous steps toward unity, including exploring a common date for Easter.
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Pope visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque, focuses on unifying Christians
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul’s iconic Blue Mosque on Saturday but didn’t stop to pray, as he focused more on bolstering ties with Orthodox patriarchs and promoting courageous steps for Eastern and Western churches to be united. Leo took his shoes off and, in his white socks, toured the 17th-century mosque, looking up at its soaring tiled domes and the Arabic inscriptions on its columns as an imam pointed them out to him. The …
Local 3 News
Pope Leo XIV made his first visit to a mosque since his appointment, and although he barefoot in a sign of respect, he did not seem to pray.
Pope Leo Xiv Barefoot, but Seems Not to Have Prayed on His First Visit to a Mosque News Channel 3-12
By Christopher Lamb and Issy Ronald, CNN Pope Leo XIV made his first visit to a mosque since his appointment, and although he barefooted in respect, he did not seem to pray. This Saturday, Leo XIV visited the Blue Mosque of Istanbul, a place of worship of the seventeenth century considered an architectural masterpiece of the Ottoman era, with turquoise ceramic tiles adorning its walls and dome. Leo XIV, accompanied by local Muslim leaders, toure…
Pope Leo XIV visited the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul in a gesture of respect for the country's Muslim majority. He skipped the moment of silent prayer, however. The spiritual leader of Catholics will arrive in Lebanon, where he is expected to bring hope for peace.
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