On November 29th, the Pope visited the Sultanahmet Mosque—universally known as the Blue Mosque—accompanied by officials from the Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs. Following Islamic custom, he removed his shoes upon entering the premises and toured the interior guided by the muezzin Askin Musa Tunca.
After the visit, the muezzin explained to the press that he offered the Pope the opportunity to make a silent prayer in the temple, as other political and religious leaders have done. According to him, Leo XIV respectfully declined the invitation, expressing that he simply wished to visit the mosque without praying in it.
Yesterday, leaving Castel Gandolfo, the Pope was asked by journalists why he did not have a moment of prayer inside the Blue Mosque, as other pontiffs did in the past. The Pope’s response was clear and concise: his “preferred place of prayer” is a Catholic church in the presence of the Most Holy Sacrament.
The Pope also described as “curious” the way some media reported that moment inside the mosque, suggesting that it had been an unexpected omission.
An explicit preference for Eucharistic prayer
When questioned, Leo XIV explained that the Pope’s prayer, in an interreligious context, can be expressed with respect, but that his spiritual intimacy is found before Christ truly present in the Eucharist. The statement marks a notable contrast with gestures made in previous pontificates, when «silent prayer» in temples of other religions was spoken of.
For Leo XIV, that is not the priority: the centrality of prayer, he insists, lies in the real presence of the Lord in the tabernacle.