Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's landmark Blue Mosque on Saturday but did not stop to pray, focusing instead on strengthening ties with Orthodox patriarchs and advancing bold steps toward uniting Eastern and Western churches.
Leo removed his shoes and, in white socks, toured the 17th-century mosque, looking at its high tiled domes and Arabic inscriptions on the columns pointed out to him by the imam.
The Vatican said Leo would offer "a short moment of silent prayer" in the mosque, but he did not. The mosque's imam, Asgin Tunka, said he invited Leo to pray because the mosque is "the house of Allah," but the pope declined.
Later, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said:
"The pope experienced his visit to the mosque in silence, in the spirit of contemplation and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there for prayer."
– he said.
Tradition of papal visits
Leo, the first American pope in history, followed in the footsteps of recent predecessors, all of whom made high-profile visits to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, as it is officially known, as a gesture of respect toward Turkey's Muslim majority.
But the visits have always raised the question of whether a pope will pray in a Muslim house of worship, or at least pause for a moment of focused, meditative silence.
When Pope Benedict XVI visited Turkey in 2006, tensions were high, as Benedict had offended many in the Muslim world months earlier with a speech in Regensburg, Germany, widely interpreted as associating Islam with violence. He prayed silently, bowing his head, while the imam prayed beside him.
There was no doubt in 2014 when Pope Francis visited the Blue Mosque: he stood for two minutes in silent prayer, facing east, head bowed, eyes closed and hands clasped in front of him.
Joint declaration on Easter
During the day, Leo prayed with the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew, in the patriarchal Church of St. George.
There they read the doxology, a hymn of praise and glory to God, and signed a joint declaration pledging to take bold steps toward unity, including seeking a common date for Easter.
The Eastern and Western churches split in the Great Schism of 1054, a division caused largely by disagreements over the primacy of the pope. While relations have warmed, they remain divided, and other schisms have formed.
"It is our shared desire to continue the process of exploring a possible solution for the joint annual celebration of the Feast of Feasts."
– the joint statement on Easter said.
The Vatican said that in his remarks to the gathered patriarchs, Leo pointed to the next Holy Year, which Christians will celebrate in 2033 on the anniversary of Christ's crucifixion, and invited them to Jerusalem on "a journey that leads to full unity."
Mass for the Catholic community
The final event for Leo was a Catholic Mass at the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul for the country's Catholic community, which numbers 33,000 in a country of more than 85 million people, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.
Renato Marai was among a group of 26 visitors from Florence, Italy, who came to Istanbul to see the pope.
"It's wonderful — to see him on his first foreign trip, a really important moment for our group."
– he said.
Tardjin Unlu, meanwhile, was among many Turkish attendees, a recent convert to Christianity from Islam.
"I became a Christian because I thought it was the best religion for me, but my family is certainly not happy."
– Unlu said.
Her friend Rodrick Nueil, originally from the Biafra region of Nigeria but now living in Northern Cyprus, said the papal visit sent "a powerful message to the global Christian community."
"Also, since Turkey is 99.9% Muslim and only 0.1% Christian, it shows that the pope is also reaching out to other religions."
– he added.
Technical problems
While Leo focused on strengthening relations with Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Muslims, trip organizers dealt with more down-to-earth matters.
The chartered ITA Airways Airbus A320neo carrying Leo was among those affected by a global software update ordered by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The order came after an analysis found that computer code may have contributed to the sudden altitude loss of a JetBlue aircraft last month.
Vatican spokesman Bruni said the monitor needed for the aircraft update was en route to Istanbul from Rome with a technical specialist who would install it.
Leo is scheduled to fly from Istanbul to Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday afternoon for the second leg of his inaugural trip as pope.
