On Saturday, Leo went to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, a 17th-century place of worship considered an Ottoman-era architectural masterpiece.
Accompanied by local Muslim leaders, Leo walked through the mosque’s courtyard and, took off his shoes when he was shown around the interior in his white socks.
Aşgın Tunca, a Muezzin, said Leo had been invited to pray during his visit. A Muezzin is an official who calls Muslims to prayer and who had been among those showing Leo around the Blue Mosque.
In 2014, Pope Francis spent two minutes in silent prayer while at the mosque, and in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI observed what the Vatican described as a moment of “silent meditation,” and which some saw as the first time a pope had prayed in a Muslim place of worship.
Following Leo’s visit, the Vatican said the pope “visited the Mosque in silence, in a spirit of reflection and listening, with profound respect for the place and the faith of those gathered here in prayer.”
The first pope to visit a mosque was John Paul II, who visited one in Syria in 2001. The last sixty years has seen the Catholic Church engage in an active dialogue with the Muslim world.
Read more: Why child Islamic conversions become commonplace at UK’s 1,500 mosques
Pope Leo recently marked the 60th anniversary of a landmark church declaration on inter-religious cooperation, which hundreds of religious leaders attended at the Vatican.
At a mass attended by thousands at Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena, Leo then delivered a homily where he spoke about the importance of Catholics fostering bonds with other religions.
“We want to walk together by appreciating what unites us, breaking down the walls of prejudice and mistrust, promoting mutual knowledge and esteem in order to give to all a strong message of hope and an invitation to become ‘peacemakers,’” he said.
