Pope Leo visits Blue Mosque in Turkiye’s Istanbul

The pope is visiting Turkiye until Sunday on his first overseas trip as pontiff, which also includes a visit to Lebanon.Published On 29 Nov 2025Pope Leo XIV has visited Istanbul’s famed Blue Mosque on the third day of his trip to Turkiye, his first known visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship.The first US pope bowed slightly before entering the mosque early on Saturday and was led on a tour of the expansive complex, able to hold 10,000 worshippers, by its imam and the mufti of Istanbul.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Pope Leo begins first foreign trip as Catholic leader in Turkiye, Lebanonlist 2 of 3Pope Leo warns ‘future of humanity is at stake’ during Turkiye visitlist 3 of 3Pope Leo XIV begins Turkiye visit with prayers and unity messageend of listLeo, walking in white socks, smiled during the 20-minute visit and joked with one of his guides, the mosque’s lead muezzin – the official who leads the daily calls to prayer.“He wanted to see the mosque, he wanted to feel the atmosphere of the mosque, and he was very pleased,” Askin Tunca, the Blue Mosque’s muezzin who calls the faithful to prayer, told reporters.Pope Leo XIV visits the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), in Istanbul on November 29, 2025 [AFP]Tunca said after the mosque visit that he asked Leo during the tour if he wished to pray for a moment, but the pope said he preferred to just visit the mosque.The Vatican said in a statement immediately after the visit that Leo undertook the tour “in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer”.While Leo did not appear to pray during the tour, he did joke with Tunca. As the group was leaving the building, the pope noticed he was being guided out a door that is usually an entryway, where a sign says: “No exit.”“It says no exit,” Leo said, smiling. Tunca responded: “You don’t have to go out, you can stay here.”