Pope Leo XIV removes shoes but declines to pray in visit to Istanbul's Blue Mosque

Pope Leo XIV, on his first official visit to a Muslim place of worship as leader of the Catholic Church, toured Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque on Saturday in a high-profile gesture aimed at promoting interfaith respect.

The pontiff, the first US pope in history, removed his shoes as a sign of respect before entering the sprawling 17th-century mosque, which can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers, and was led on a 20-minute tour by the mosque's imam and the mufti of Istanbul.

While the Vatican had earlier indicated the Pope might observe a 'brief moment of silent prayer,' Pope Leo did not appear to pray. An imam from the mosque, Asgin Tunca, confirmed he had invited the Pope to pray, calling the mosque "Allah's house," but the offer was declined.

Instead, the visit was marked by quiet observation. The Holy See Press Office stated that "The Pope experienced the visit to the Mosque in silence, in a spirit of recollection and attentive listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer."

Walking in white socks, Pope Leo smiled and bowed slightly before entering the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, as it is officially known, and was seen joking with the lead muezzin—the official who performs the daily calls to prayer.

This visit follows a tradition established by recent popes. Leo XIV is the fifth pontiff to visit Turkey, tracing the footsteps of Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1979), Benedict XVI (2006), and Francis (2014) in making a respectful gesture to Turkey's Muslim majority. The mosque, completed in 1617 by Sultan Ahmed I, is considered one of Istanbul's most important religious sites.