Pope Leo XIV on Saturday visited Istanbul’s historic Blue Mosque, marking the first time the newly elected pontiff has entered a Muslim place of worship since assuming leadership of the Catholic Church in May.
The visit, which took place on the third day of his trip to Turkey, echoed the gestures of his predecessors Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 and Pope Francis in 2014 — underscoring the Vatican’s continued efforts to strengthen interfaith relations.
The Blue Mosque, one of Turkey’s most visited landmarks, is famed for its six minarets and cascading domes, with an interior lined by thousands of striking blue Iznik tiles.
Like all visitors, the pope removed his shoes before entering, stepping onto the mosque’s burnt-orange carpet in white socks a detail observers linked to his beloved baseball team, the Chicago White Sox.
Pope Leo spent about 15 minutes inside, guided by Muslim clerics. A wandering crow circled beneath the domes during the visit, according to an AFP correspondent traveling with the pontiff.
“He wanted to see the mosque, he wanted to feel the atmosphere of the mosque, and he was very pleased,” the mosque’s muezzin, Askin Tunca, told reporters afterward.
Crowds gathered outside the heavily secured area, many of them tourists hoping for a closer glimpse.
“The pope always brings peace wherever he goes,” said Roberta Ribola, an Italian tourist waiting behind the barricades.
Others, however, expressed frustration at the restricted access for worshippers.
“The pope has no business here,” complained a Turkish visitor, Bekir Sarikaya, who said his parents traveled 1,000 kilometers to pray but were denied entry during the visit.
His wife disagreed, arguing that Christians can visit Istanbul’s churches, so the pope should also be welcomed into Muslim spaces.
Unlike his predecessors, Leo did not visit the nearby Hagia Sophia.
The sixth-century Byzantine basilica, a museum for decades, was reconverted into a mosque in 2020 a move that drew global criticism, including from the late Pope Francis, who said he was “very saddened.”
Later on Saturday, Pope Leo met with Christian leaders at the Patriarchal Church of St. George before holding talks with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
The two leaders are expected to sign a joint declaration, though details have not been released.
The pope will preside over a mass at the Volkswagen Arena, where about 4,000 worshippers are expected.
On Sunday, he will lead services at the Armenian cathedral and at St. George’s before departing for Lebanon the second stop on his first international tour as pontiff.