NOVEMBER 29, 2025: DAY THREE: POPE LEO XIV IN ISTANBUL
Following are Vatican News stories about the events of the day in Istanbul, Turkiye for Pope Leo XIV. Clicking on the links brings you to the full story as well as photos and full videos of the various events. Enjoy!
POPE LEO VISITS BLUE MOSQUE, ONE OF MOST IMPORTANT IN ISTANBUL: On the morning of the third day of his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV visits the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the “Blue Mosque.” Starting off his third day in Türkiye on his first Apostolic Journey abroad, Pope Leo XIV visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the “Blue Mosque.” “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,” according to the Holy See Press Office. The more than 21,000 ceramic tiles from Iznik that line the walls of the building, predominantly blue and turquoise, gave rise to mosque’s nickname. One of the most important in Istanbul, this mosque was completed in 1617 by Sultan Ahmed I on part of the site of the Great Palace of Constantinople. The goal was for this mosque to become the most significant place of worship in the Ottoman Empire. Eight volumes, now preserved in the Topkapi Library, documented the construction of the mosque. Pope Leo visits Blue Mosque, one of most important in Istanbul – Vatican News
LOOKING TO JERUSALEM AND JUBILEE OF 2033, POPE LEO HIGHLIGHTS PATH OF UNITY: Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I are joined by ecclesial leaders representing the vast majority of the Christian world for an ecumenical encounter to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. The commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council continued on Saturday with a private ecumenical encounter at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem in Istanbul. Joining Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I were representatives from the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and other Christian world communions and Ecumenical Organizations, including the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the Baptist World Alliance, the World Evangelical Alliance, and the World Council of Churches. Looking to Jerusalem and Jubilee of 2033, Pope Leo highlights path of unity – Vatican News
POPE LEO XIV MEETS AND PRAYS WITH ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH IN ISTANBUL: During his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV joins the Ecumenical Patriarch for a prayer service at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Istanbul. On Saturday, his third day in Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV addressed the faithful at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in a prayer service and Doxology. In his greeting to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, the Pope expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the warm reception, highlighting the continuity of fraternal bonds with his predecessors. “Upon entering this Church,” Pope Leo XIV said, “I experienced great emotion, mindful that I am following in the footsteps of Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. I am also aware that Your All Holiness had the opportunity to meet my venerable predecessors personally, and to develop a sincere and fraternal friendship with them based on shared faith and a common vision of the challenges facing the Church and the world.” Pope Leo XIV meets and prays with Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul – Vatican News
POPE LEO AND PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW REJECT VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF GOD: Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I sign a Joint Declaration in Istanbul reaffirming their commitment to the path toward full communion and forcefully rejecting any use of religion to justify violence. On the third day of his Apostolic Visit to Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV travelled to the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, where he joined Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I for the solemn recitation of the Doxology and the signing of a Joint Declaration that reaffirms their shared commitment to the path toward restored full communion and their united rejection of any appeal to religion to legitimize violence. “We reject any use of religion and the name of God to justify violence.” Pope Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew reject violence in the name of God – Vatican News
POPE AT MASS: BRING HOPE IN WORLD WHERE RELIGION IS USED TO JUSTIFY WAR: Presiding over Mass in Istanbul, Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV urges everyone to take time to reflect during the Advent season on the three bonds of unity we are all called to build: within the community, in ecumenical relations, and with members of different faiths. On his third day in Türkiye, Pope Leo XIV presided at Holy Mass in the Volkswagen Arena in Istanbul with hundreds of people “on the eve of the day on which the Church commemorates Saint Andrew, Apostle and Patron of this land.” The Pope recalled that November 30 marks the first Sunday of Advent—a time dedicated to preparing for the birth of Christ, who was “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” This declaration was solemnly made at the Council of Nicaea 1,700 years ago—an anniversary central to this Apostolic Journey. Pope at Mass: Bring hope in world where religion is used to justify war – Vatican News
Joan's Rome 