Pope Leo XIV Begins Turkey Visit with Blue Mosque Ceremony

Pope Leo XIV commenced his visit to Turkey on Saturday with a significant stop at Istanbul’s renowned Blue Mosque. This visit marks the beginning of a day filled with meetings and religious ceremonies involving Turkey’s diverse religious leaders, culminating in a Mass for the nation’s small Catholic community.

During his visit to the mosque, officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the head of Turkey’s Diyanet religious affairs directorate guided Pope Leo through the stunning tiled dome and the Arabic inscriptions adorning its columns. The Vatican had indicated that the Pope would observe a brief moment of silent prayer; however, it remains unclear if this occurred during the visit.

Pope Leo XIV is continuing a tradition established by his predecessors, who also paid respect to Turkey’s Muslim majority by visiting the mosque. The Pope removed his shoes and walked through the mosque in white socks, a gesture of reverence. Notably, previous popes have also visited the nearby Hagia Sophia, a landmark that was once an important cathedral in Christianity and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, Pope Leo did not include it in his itinerary during this trip. The Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum back into a mosque in July 2020, a decision that drew significant international criticism, including from the Vatican.

Following his mosque visit, Pope Leo is scheduled to hold a private meeting with Turkey’s Christian leaders at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem. Later in the day, he will engage in a prayer gathering with Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians, at the Church of Saint George. The day’s events will conclude with a Catholic Mass at Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena, aimed at the country’s Catholic community, which numbers approximately 33,000 in a nation of over 85 million people, predominantly Sunni Muslims.

On Friday, Pope Leo prayed with Christian leaders in Iznik, commemorating the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which convened in 325 AD. This gathering was pivotal in shaping Christian doctrine, resulting in the Nicaean Creed that millions of Christians recite today. During the visit, the Pope emphasized the need for unity among Christian denominations, stating, “We must overcome the scandal of the divisions that unfortunately still exist and nurture the desire for unity.”

The significance of the Nicaea gathering is underscored by the historical context; at that time, the Eastern and Western churches were united before their split in the Great Schism of 1054. Differences over the primacy of the Pope and other theological disagreements led to this division, along with subsequent splintering among various groups. Nevertheless, the Nicaean Creed remains a common ground for Catholic, Orthodox, and most historic Protestant denominations, highlighting its enduring relevance in contemporary Christianity.

Celebrating this historic occasion at the site of its origin with leaders from both the Catholic and Orthodox churches, as well as representatives from other Christian communities, marks a notable moment in the ongoing quest for Christian unity.