What happened this morning in Istanbul is a headline for the ages. Pope Leo XIV visited the Blue Mosque and, although a moment of prayer was scheduled in his agenda, he broke with tradition and declined the invitation to pray in the Muslim place of worship.
However, like everyone else entering a mosque, the Pope still removed his shoes as a sign of respect. He stayed inside for almost half an hour, and afterward, the person responsible for calling him to prayer told the press that he had explained to Pope Leo that it was the house of Allah and that he could pray if he wanted.
The Pope responded that it was fine, but he preferred to continue on the tour instead. According to the Holy See, Pope Leo experienced the visit in silence, reflection, and attentiveness. Additionally, the Vatican press office noted that there had been an error in the agenda that the led to the assumption that this moment of prayer would take place.
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BREAKING WITH TRADITION
This denial to pray is different from his predecessors – demonstrating that Pope Leo is capable of making his own decisions. For example, Pope Benedict XVI did pray during his visit to Turkey in 2006. His visit to the Blue Mosque was arranged last minute in an attempt to reach out to the Muslim world and ease tensions. Months earlier Pope Benedict had been criticized for a speech, which many interpreted as him linking Islam to violence.
Pope Francis also spent a few minutes in prayer when he visited: he was seen with his head bowed, hands clasped, and eyes closed. In fact, during a press conference at the end of his trip, he said that he had been the one to suggest it.
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POPE LEO AVOIDS GOING TO HAGIA SOPHIA
Where Pope Leo did not go, even though it was just a few meters away and face-to-face with the Blue Mosque, is Hagia Sophia, a Christian basilica that has served as a mosque, a national museum, and then was reconverted back into a Muslim place of worship in 2020.
This decision drew criticism from Christians at the time with even Pope Francis speaking out on several occasions. In the days leading up to the trip, we spoke with several experts the Hagia Sophia.
They explained that Pope Leo possibly did not include the Hagia Sophia in his schedule precisely because of this reconversion to Islam, as a diplomatic and prudent gesture, which is very much in line with the pontiff’s diplomatic approach thus far.
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ONLY ONE CHURCH IN 100 YEARS
Speaking of places of worship… today the Pope also visited a Syriac Orthodox church for a meeting with Christian leaders.
Interestingly, this is the only church that has been built in Turkey in over 100 years, since the founding of the modern state in 1923.
When it comes to constructing churches like this one, Christians face significant legal barriers.
In 2003, an urban planning law changed the term “mosque” to “place of worship.” This decision, in theory, should have opened doors for Christians to build their own temples.
However, in practice, many obstacles remain. For example, regulations like this: the minimum plot size required to build a place of worship in many towns must be 2,500 square meters, which makes it difficult, among other things, to build more churches for minority communities.
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INCIDENT WITH THE PAPAL PLANE
There was also international news that broke today that affected Pope Leo's trip, specially regarding his aircraft. He is flying on an Airbus A320, and the company just ordered 6,000 planes, including Pope Leo XIV’s to be grounded in order to inspect and correct a component defect.
The Vatican confirmed this information and added that a technician traveled to Istanbul to resolve the issue. Additionally, Pope Leo will be changing destinations tomorrow and will have to board the plane again to go to Lebanon.
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A SHORT BUT DIFFICULT PRAYER
What St. Peter’s Basilica represents for Catholics, St. George’s Cathedral represents for the Orthodox of Constantinople. Today we saw the Pope signing a declaration there with Patriarch Bartholomew to strengthen ties between both churches.
A funny moment came during the Doxology, a prayer of praise to God commonly used by the Orthodox. It's a short, but perhaps tricky prayer, as both the Pope and Bartholomew lost their place and needed assistance to get back on track.
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MASS GATHERING IN TURKEY
There are few Catholics in Turkey, around 33,000, but many did not want to miss one of the most anticipated moments that capped off the day in Istanbul.
This Mass at the Volkswagen Arena, which has the capacity for about 4,000 people—a large number considering the Catholic population in the country. People looked overjoyed to have Pope Leo close by.
Tomorrow, the Pope has two events on his agenda in the morning. At midday, Rome time, he will land in Lebanon to continue the next leg of his first international trip.
