In a show of respect, Pope Leo removed his shoes and toured the 17th-century mosque in his white socks; however, unlike Pope Benedict and Pope Francis before him, the recently selected pontiff declined an invitation to pray at the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on the third day of his Apostolic Visit to Turkey, a former Christian epicentre now comprised of 99.8 per cent Muslims.
According to the AP, the Vatican had briefed the press to expect Leo to hold a “brief moment of silent prayer” at the Islamic place of worship known for its thousands of blue Iznik tiles. However, after being invited to pray by Imam Asgin Tunca in “Allah’s house”, the Pope politely declined. The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) reported that Leo replied: “No, I am just going to look around.”
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni later said: “The pope experienced his visit to the mosque in silence, in a spirit of contemplation and listening, with deep respect for the place and the faith of those who gather there in prayer.”
It comes in contrast to Pope Francis, who prayed in “silent adoration” during his 2014 visit to the Blue Mosque. Similarly, Pope Benedict XVI prayed alongside then-Istanbul head cleric Mustafa Cagrici during his 2006 visit to the site.
This came after Benedict sparked controversy and protests throughout the Muslim world by quoting a 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos that the Islamic faith had been “spread by the sword” in an “evil and inhuman” manner.
Pope Benedict’s visit to the Blue Mosque was only the second time in history that a Pope entered a mosque. The first such instance occurred in 2001, when Pope John Paul II toured the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. While Pope John Paul offered prayers during the visit, the Vatican rejected demands that he remove his Cross or apologise for the Crusades.
Pope Leo also broke with his predecessors by not visiting the Hagia Sophia. This Byzantine-era church served as the Cathedral of Constantinople before the city was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, after which it was converted into a mosque.
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE – NOVEMBER 29: Pope Leo XIV visits the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on November 29, 2025. (Photo by Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
For much of the 20th century, the Hagia Sophia served as a museum. However, under the Islamist government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it was again converted into a mosque in 2020, sparking further tension between Turkey and the Catholic Church.
When asked why Leo would not visit the Hagia Sofia as John Paul, Benedict, and Francis did, Vatican spokesman Bruni said on Thursday: “It simply was not put on the program.”
While he did not pray at the Blue Mosque, Pope Leo did pray alongside Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, during a service at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George, in a show of solidarity with the Eastern Orthodox Church and to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which both Churches still recognise as authoritative.
The Pope and the Patriarch signed a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to a full communion and to “reject any use of religion and the name of God to justify violence.”
“The goal of Christian unity, includes the objective of contributing in a fundamental and life-giving manner to peace among all peoples. Together we fervently raise our voices in invoking God’s gift of peace upon our world.”
Pope Leo will conclude his Apostolic Journey to Turkey on Sunday, when he will have a prayer visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral before continuing his Middle East tour and visiting Christians in Lebanon.
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