Pope Leo XIV started the second day of his trip to Turkiye with a visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday. Leo was following in the footsteps of his recent predecessors, who all made high-profile visits to the mosque in a gesture of respect to Turkiye’s Muslim majority. This is the pope’s first foreign trip. He will also visit Lebanon. Leo, history’s first American pope, is expected to speak in broader terms about peace in the Middle East.

He will gather with leaders of other Christian traditions in Nicaea and celebrate Mass in Beirut.

Vatican says ‘demanding’ six-day mission will be packed with meetings with political and religious leaders