Pope Leo visited Istanbul’s iconic Blue Mosque on Saturday, removing his shoes as a gesture of respect.
The visit marked the first time he has entered a Muslim place of worship since becoming head of the Catholic Church, during his four-day trip to Turkey.
The first American to serve as pope, Leo gave a slight bow before stepping inside the mosque.
He was then guided through the vast complex, which can accommodate 10,000 worshippers, by the imam and Istanbul’s mufti.
Wearing only white socks, Leo smiled throughout the 20-minute tour and shared a light moment with the mosque’s chief muezzin, the official responsible for calling Muslims to prayer.
Leo’s trip to Turkey, which runs until Sunday, is his first journey abroad as pontiff and also includes a stop in Lebanon.
After the tour, the Vatican noted that the pope toured the mosque “in a spirit of reflection and listening, with profound respect for the site and for the faith of those who worship there.”
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.”
"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
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) November 29, 2025
The Blue Mosque, officially named for Sultan Ahmed I of the Ottoman Empire (1603–1617), is famed for its thousands of blue ceramic tiles, from which its popular name is derived.
Leo selected predominantly Muslim Turkey for his first foreign visit to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of an early Church council held there, which produced the Nicene Creed, a foundational statement of faith for most Christians worldwide.
During a ceremony on Friday marking the council, attended by Christian leaders from across the Middle East, Leo denounced violence committed in the name of religion and urged Christians to move beyond centuries of discord.
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