Pope Leo tours Istanbul's famous Blue Mosque, declines to pray alongside imam
Fox News
Pope Leo XIV toured Istanbul's Blue Mosque but declined to pray despite Vatican plans, instead focusing on unity talks with Orthodox patriarchs during his visit.
The Vatican had said Leo would observe a "brief moment of silent prayer" in the mosque, but he didn't. An imam of the mosque, Asgin Tunca, said he had invited Leo to pray, since the mosque was "Allah's house," but the pope declined.
Later, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said: "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."
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