Pope Leo XIV made his first visit to a mosque since being elected and, although he took off his shoes as a sign of respect, he did not pray there.
This Saturday (29), the pontiff visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, a 17th century temple considered a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture, with turquoise ceramic tiles adorning the walls and dome.
The pope, accompanied by local Muslim leaders, walked through the mosque’s courtyard and, after taking off his shoes, was led inside wearing only white socks.
The first US pontiff, an avid Chicago White Sox baseball fan, recently joked that he always wears “white socks.”
Aşgın Tunca, a muezzin, said that Leo XIV had been asked to pray during his visit. The muezzin is an official who calls Muslims to prayer and was among the pope’s escorts through the Blue Mosque.
“I offered him the opportunity to pray here, but he said, ‘No, I’ll just take a look,’” Tunca said later, explaining that he “told” the pope would “pray here.”
The confusion increased when the Vatican Press Office released a statement after the visit, stating that Leo XIV had prayed at the mosque and that he had been received by the head of the state religious organization, despite neither event taking place.
The Holy See later clarified that the statement, which mentioned the pope observing “a brief moment of prayer,” had been sent in error and removed from the booklet produced before the trip.
Leo XIV is the third pope to visit the Blue Mosque. Previous papal visits have raised questions about whether the pontiff would pray.
In 2014, Pope Francis spent two minutes in silent prayer while at the mosque, and in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI observed what the Vatican described as a moment of “silent meditation,” and which some considered the first time a pontiff had prayed in a Muslim place of worship.
After Leo XIV’s visit, the Vatican stated that the pope “visited the Mosque in silence, in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the site and for the faith of those who gathered there in prayer.”
The first pope to go to a mosque was John Paul II, who visited a temple in Syria in 2001. Over the past 60 years, the Catholic Church has maintained an active dialogue with the Muslim world.
The recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of a historic Church declaration on interfaith cooperation, which was attended by hundreds of religious leaders at the Vatican.
