Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Pope Leo XIV
will visit the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul on Saturday (29/11) morning on the third day of his visit to
Türkiye
.
This visit marks the first time the Pope from the United States has visited a Muslim house of worship since he was elected Pope to replace his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who was known as a figure who encouraged dialogue with Islam.
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With this highly symbolic gesture, Pope Leo follows in the footsteps of his two predecessors, Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, who visited the site in 2014 and 2006.
However, Pope Leo did not visit Hagia Sophia which is not far from that location.The legendary 6th century building was founded during the Byzantine Empire and converted into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
In an important reform initiated by post-Ottoman Turkish authorities under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Hagia Sophia was designated a museum in 1935. Fifty years later, the building was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, in 2020, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque again, a move that drew international condemnation, including from Pope Francis who said he was “deeply saddened” by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision.
Critics accuse President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AKP party of eroding the secular pillars of the Muslim-majority country.
Meanwhile, quoted
AFP
, The Blue Mosque is one of the main tourist attractions in Istanbul.
With six towering minarets, the mosque was built in the early 17th century during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I, above part of the Hippodrome area, the chariot race arena that was the center of life in Constantinople when the city was still the capital of Byzantium.
After visiting the Blue Mosque, Pope Leo is scheduled to meet local church leaders and attend a short prayer service at St. Mary’s Patriarchal Church.George, before joining Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at his residence located on the edge of the Golden Horn estuary.
There, the two spiritual leaders will sign a joint declaration, although the contents of the document have not yet been made public.
On the same day, Pope Leo will lead a mass at the Volkswagen Arena, which is expected to be attended by around 4,000 faithful.
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