The Pope has visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque throughout a day spent assembly each Muslim and Christian leaders.
Pope Leo joined the imam on the Seventeenth-century Ottoman-era mosque, formally known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
The journey marked a part of the third day of his first abroad go to as head of the Catholic Church. From Turkey, he’ll journey to Lebanon on Sunday.
After the mosque go to, Leo held a non-public assembly with Turkey’s Christian leaders on the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem.
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Pics: AP
Whereas the Vatican had stated Leo would observe a “brief minute of silent prayer” on the Blue Mosque, the imam stated the Pope declined.
Talking to reporters after the go to, Asgin Tunca stated he had informed the Pope: “It’s not my house, not your house, (it’s the) house of Allah.”
The imam added that he informed the pontiff: “‘If you’d like, you’ll be able to worship right here,’ I stated. However he stated, ‘that is OK.’
“He wanted to see the mosque, wanted to feel (the) atmosphere of the mosque, I think. And was very pleased.”
Later, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni stated: “The Pope experienced 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 who gather there in prayer.”
The Blue Mosque is formally named after Sultan Ahmed I, chief of the Ottoman Empire from 1603 to 1617, who oversaw its building.
It’s embellished with 1000’s of blue ceramic tiles, which is the idea of its fashionable title.
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Pic: AP
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File pic: CTK/AP
Leo is the most recent pontiff to go to the holy website, along with his current predecessors Pope Francis and Pope Benedict additionally making visits in a gesture of respect to Turkey’s Muslim inhabitants.
Observing etiquette, Leo eliminated his footwear and walked by way of the carpeted mosque in his white socks.
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Pic: AP
Nonetheless, he didn’t go to the Hagia Sophia, one of the essential historic cathedrals in Christianity and situated simply throughout from the Blue Mosque.
In July 2020, Turkey transformed Hagia Sophia from a museum again right into a mosque, which was criticised by the Vatican.
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A lady exterior the Syriac Orthodox church of Mor Ephrem throughout Pope Leo XIV’s assembly. Pic: AP
The Pope is about to finish Saturday with a Catholic Mass in Istanbul’s Volkswagen Enviornment for the nation’s Catholic group.
A non secular minority, there are round 33,000 Catholics in Turkey, which has a inhabitants of greater than 85 million individuals, most of whom are Sunni Muslim.
