US EditionPope visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque before talks with Turkey's religious leaders
Pope Leo XIV toured Istanbul’s Blue Mosque without praying, differing from predecessors; he met local Christian leaders and plans to sign a joint religious declaration, Vatican said.
- During his four-day visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque and will sign a joint declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I whose contents remain unpublished.
- On Friday the pontiff flew to Iznik for an ecumenical prayer service marking 1,700 years since an early Church gathering, following Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis in symbolic outreach.
- With its six towering minarets, the Blue Mosque was built in the early 17th century under Sultan Ahmed I, while Pope Leo XIV will not visit the nearby Hagia Sophia, a sixth-century basilica made a museum in 1935.
- Later the same day Leo will hold a mass at the Volkswagen Arena where some 4,000 worshippers are expected, amid critics accusing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP party of eroding secular pillars.
- On Sunday morning, after leading a divine liturgy at Patriarchal Church of St George, Istanbul, Leo will head to Lebanon, amid controversies over Hagia Sophia's reconversion and the late Pope Francis saying he was `very saddened`.
133 Articles
133 Articles
Pope Leo tours Istanbul's famous Blue Mosque, declines to pray alongside imam
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 Vatican had said Leo …
The Vatican press department accidentally announced that he had prayed at the Blue Mosque, but this was later retracted.
The Pontiff observed the architectural beauties of the place of prayer
It is a sign of interreligious dialogue: during his trip to Turkey, the Pontiff visits the most famous mosque in Istanbul. However, he leaves out a previously announced prayer there.
Daily Record
Pope visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque without praying as he focuses on unifying Christians
Pope Leo XIV has visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque without praying there as he focused on strengthening ties with Orthodox patriarchs. On Saturday, he toured the mosque but did not pray despite earlier plans. The Vatican later corrected its bulletin to…
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