Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque Saturday, shedding his shoes, which represents a powerful gesture of interfaith outreach to the Muslim world.
The leader of 1.4 billion Catholics walked the mosque’s carpet in his white socks, as he was given a 15-minute tour of the 17th-century structure by Turkey’s highest Muslim religious officials. The visit follows days of meetings in Turkey focused on Christian unity, but the mosque visit sends a message of peace and dialogue to a world of religious division.
The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is one of Turkey’s most recognizable Mosques, known for its iconic six minarets and vast, blue-tiled interior. By removing his shoes, Pope Leo adhered to the strict protocol for visitors to a sacred Islamic space.
Muezzin Askin Tunca, who calls the faithful to prayer, told reporters he invited the Pope to pray if he wished, since it is the house of Allah, but Pope Leo politely declined, stating he simply wanted to feel the atmosphere of the mosque.
Askin Tunca, the mosque official, stressed that;
He wanted to see the mosque, he wanted to feel the atmosphere of the mosque and he was very pleased
The Pope Leo emphasised on bolstering ties with Orthodox patriarchs and promoting steps for Eastern and Western churches to be united during his Turkey trip. The visit itself, however, has reinforced his message of dialoguing with everyone and seeking to build bridges in every direction.
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