Pope Leo visited Constantinople’s Blue Mosque today, removing his shoes in a gesture of respect but refraining from prayer during what was his first visit, as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, to a Muslim place of worship during his four-day stay in Turkey.
The pope bowed slightly before entering the mosque and was welcomed by both the imam and the mufti of Constantinople, who guided him through the vast complex of the historic landmark, capable of accommodating up to 10,000 worshippers.
Walking in white socks, Leo smiled throughout the 20-minute tour and exchanged a lighthearted remark with one of his guides, Askin Musa Tunca, the mosque’s chief muezzin—the cleric responsible for calling the faithful to prayer.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, Tunca said he asked Pope Leo if he wished to pray, but the pope replied that he preferred simply to tour the mosque.
In a statement, the Vatican said that Leo visited the mosque “in a spirit of recollection and attentive listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer.”
The Blue Mosque, officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultanahmet Mosque, was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I, who ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617 and oversaw its construction. Its thousands of blue ceramic tiles give the monument the name by which it is widely known today.
