Pope Leo XIV, who visited the "Sultan Ahmet" Mosque, also known as the "Blue Mosque" today in Istanbul, took off his shoes as a sign of respect but did not pray on his first visit as head of the Roman Catholic Church to a Muslim shrine, Reuters and the Associated Press noted, quoted by BTA.
The first American pope bowed briefly before entering the mosque and then took a tour of the vast 17th-century complex, which can accommodate 10,000 worshippers, led by the mosque's imam and Istanbul's mufti.
Pope Leo, who walked in white socks, smiled during the 20-minute visit and joked with one of his guides - the mosque's muezzin, who delivers the daily call to prayer, Reuters pointed out.
The Vatican said earlier that the Holy Father would reserve a "brief moment of silent prayer" in the mosque, but this did not happen, the AP notes.
Imam Asgin Tunca told reporters that he asked the pope if he wanted to pray, since the mosque is "the house of Allah", but Leo XIV refused. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni later said: "The Pope spent his visit to the mosque in silence, in a spirit of contemplation and listening, with deep respect for the place and the faith of those gathered for prayer."
Reuters noted that the Vatican appeared surprised that Pope Leo did not stop to pray during his visit to the mosque and that he was not greeted by the head of Turkey's state religious affairs office, the Diyanet, as planned.
A press release issued by the Vatican initially stated that this had happened, but the press service later said it had been sent in error and published a corrected version that removed the part about the planned "brief moment of silent prayer." without further explanation, the two agencies said.
At the same time, Pope Leo joked with Imam Asgin Tunca, noting that as the group was leaving the building, they were heading towards a door that is usually used as an entrance and above it was a sign that said "This is not an exit", Reuters also reported. "This is not an exit", Pope Leo said, smiling, to which Tunca replied: "You don't have to go out, you can stay here", the agency reported.
Leo, the first American pope in history, followed in the footsteps of his predecessors, who also made landmark visits to the "Sultan Ahmet" Mosque as a sign of respect for Turkey's Muslim majority. But the visits have always raised questions about whether the pope will pray in the Muslim temple or at least stop to gather his thoughts in meditative silence, the AP notes.
Reuters also commented that the "Blue Mosque" is located directly opposite the former Byzantine cathedral "Hagia Sophia", which Pope Leo did not visit, in contrast to previous papal visits to Turkey.
"Hagia Sophia" is one of the most important Christian temples for nearly a millennium, which served as a mosque for 500 years after the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire. It was converted into a museum more than 70 years ago by the secular Turkish Republic, and in 2020 it became a mosque again by a decision of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the agency reminds.
Pope Leo XIV arrived on Thursday for a four-day visit to Turkey as part of his first foreign trip since his election as head of the Roman Catholic Church, after which he will leave for Lebanon.