Pope Leo wraps up Türkiye visit, heads to Beirut
ISTANBUL
Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his visit to Türkiye on Nov. 30 before heading to Lebanon, where he aimed to bring a message of hope to its long-suffering people and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East.
On his final day in Istanbul, the pope met Andrea Minguzzi, the father of 15-year-old Ahmet Mattia Minguzzi, whose killing by peers in January sparked outrage in Türkiye and triggered debates over the prosecution of minors.
After the meeting at the Vatican Embassy in Şişli, the father of the Turkish-Italian boy said he was honored to meet the pope and asked for a blessing for his son and family.
He added that he hopes Ahmet’s memory will continue to inspire peace, saying he asked the pope to pray that their efforts translate into “real good” in people’s lives and support their mission of brotherhood.
Leo had two key appointments in Istanbul before flying to Beirut: A prayer at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral and a divine liturgy with Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew.
On Nov. 29, Pope Leo visited Istanbul's famed Blue Mosque. It was the first time the American pope, elected in May as leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, visited a Muslim place of worship since taking over from his late predecessor, Francis.
With such a highly symbolic gesture, Leo follows in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI, who visited the site in 2006, and Francis, who did the same in 2014.
Like all visitors, the pope removed his shoes to enter the mosque, walking onto the burnt orange carpet in white socks, not a mandatory part of the papal uniform but in this case a likely nod to Leo's favorite baseball team, the Chicago White Sox.
He spent about 15 minutes inside, with Muslim dignitaries showing him around, as overhead a stray crow circled under the vast domes.
Thousands of worshippers also battled the rain to join Pope Leo as he celebrated mass in Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena.
As Leo entered, dressed in the rich purple chasuble embroidered with gold worn to mark the start of the Advent period leading up to Christmas, many of the 4,000 or so worshippers rose to their feet.
On the second leg of his maiden papal trip, Leo will visit Lebanon at a precarious moment for the small Mediterranean country after years of successive crises.
The highlight of Leo's Lebanese visit will come on his last day, Dec. 2, when he spends time in silent prayer at the site of the Aug. 4, 2020, blast and meets with some of its victims.