Pope Leo Visits Sultan Ahmed Mosque In Istanbul
Pope Leo XIV has visited Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, in his first visit to a Muslim place of worship since becoming pope in May.
The Pope was observed bowing as he entered the edifice, although it is said he did not worship at the mosque, as his two predecessors had.
According to a Vatican statement, Leo took the visit “in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and the faith of those who gather there in prayer”.
Starting off his third day in Türkiye on his first Apostolic Journey, Pope Leo XIV visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the “Blue Mosque.”
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) November 29, 2025
"The Pope experienced the visit to the Mosque in silence, in a spirit of recollection and attentive listening, with deep respect… pic.twitter.com/ba0RjYfZsG
The Pope is currently on a four-day visit to Turkey and will then travel to Lebanon.
He was later welcomed at St George’s Cathedral in Istanbul by Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The Blue Mosque is formally named after Sultan Ahmed I, the Ottoman Empire’s leader from 1603 to 1617, who oversaw its construction.
It is embellished with thousands of blue and turquoise ceramic tiles and attracts millions of visitors each year.
Pope Leo visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque, removing his shoes in a sign of respect, but did not appear to pray in his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship https://t.co/LIGMPMVJck pic.twitter.com/SiONHJdZHF
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 29, 2025
Pope Francis prayed there in 2014, whereas Pope Benedict XVI did likewise in 2006.
John Paul II was the first pope to officially enter a mosque, making history in 2001 when he visited Damascus’ Umayyad Mosque.
The late Pope Francis organized the papal journey to Turkey and Lebanon.
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However, its theme of building bridges was embraced by Pope Leo from the moment he stepped on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after his election in May.
At the start of his trip, he warned that the world should not give into “a heightened level of conflict on the global level”, adding that “the future of humanity is at stake”.
Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the “Blue Mosque.”
— Justin S. McLellan (@McLellan_Js) November 29, 2025
Leo declined an offer to pray there, in a break from his predecessors Popes Benedict XVI and Francis who both prayed at the mosque during their visits, the mosque’s muezzin told journalists. pic.twitter.com/MYL0S2OYtC
In Lebanon – where an estimated third of the country is Christian – he is expected to meet more faith leaders and hear from young people.
On the final day of the trip, he will celebrate Mass at the Beirut waterfront at the site of the 2020 port explosion, praying for the more than 200 people who were killed and 7,000 others injured.
Pope Leo Visits Sultan Ahmed Mosque In Istanbul
