Pope Lex XIV visits the Blue Mosque in Istanbul and condemns religious violence

The head of the Catholic Church visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday, where the Holy Father took off his shoes as a sign of respect. However, observers said he was not seen praying during the 20-minute tour. The first American-born pope was accompanied by the mosque's imam and chief muezzin, who showed him around the compound for about 10,000 worshippers.

The pope's visit is part of his first foreign trip, during which he will visit Turkey and Lebanon. Leo XIV, who was a relatively unknown figure before taking office in May, is being closely watched on his first mission while speaking outside predominantly Catholic Italy.

Muezzin Askin Musa Tunca said he asked the pope during the tour if he wanted to pray, but he preferred only to visit a mosque.

The Vatican said in a statement that Leo took the tour "in a spirit of reflection and listening with respect for the place and the faith of the faithful." The Blue Mosque, built during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I, is famous for its thousands of blue ceramic tiles.

The Pope did not visit neighbouring Hagia Sophia, once a Byzantine cathedral. The Vatican has not commented on his decision. His predecessor, Pope Francis, in 2020 criticised the re-purposing of Hagia Sophia as a mosque.

During Friday's commemoration ceremony for the 1,700th anniversary of an early church council, Leo condemned religious violence and called on Christians to overcome historical disputes. Addressing clerics from the Middle East, he called it a "scandal" that the world's 2.6 billion Christians are not more united.

(reuters, mmi)