Pope Leo to lead Istanbul stadium mass, visit Sultan Ahmed Mosque

ROME

Pope Leo XIV will visit Istanbul’s landmark Sultan Ahmed Mosque and attend a mass at a stadium during his first foreign trip as pope next month that will also take him to Türkiye to mark an important anniversary with Orthodox Christians.

The Vatican yesterday released the itinerary of Leo’s Nov. 27-Dec. 2 trip to Türkiye and Lebanon.

The main impetus for travelling to Türkiye this year is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council.

Nicaea, today located in İznik on a lake southeast of Istanbul, is one of seven ecumenical councils that are recognized by the Eastern Orthodox.

Leo will travel there by helicopter on Nov. 28 for a brief prayer near the archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos.

Another significant moment in Türkiye is Leo's Nov. 30 prayer at the Armenian apostolic cathedral in Istanbul.

In Türkiye, there are no plans for Leo to visit the landmark Hagia Sophia monument in Istanbul as previous popes have done.

Leo will visit the nearby Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque. He will lead a mass at Volkswagen Arena Stadium in Istanbul.

In addition to the traditional protocol visits with Turkish and Lebanese leaders, meetings with Catholic clergy and liturgies, Leo’s visit to the site of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port blast will likely be another stirring moment in his trip, coming on its final day.

The blast tore through the Lebanese capital after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse. The gigantic explosion killed at least 218 people, according to an AP count, wounded more than 6,000 others and devastated large swaths of Beirut, causing billions of dollars in damages.