Around 20 members of a small Islamic political party staged a brief protest Friday in Iznik, Turkey, ahead of a meeting between Pope Leo XIV and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians in the town.

On the first of his four days in Turkey, Leo met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Later in the trip, he is set to visit local Catholic clergy and leaders of other Christian groups, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, head of the Eastern Orthodox church.

Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul's iconic Blue Mosque on Saturday but didn't stop to pray, as he opened an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey's Christian leaders, where he again emphasized the need for Christians to be united.

Pope Leo XIV encouraged Turkey to be a source of stability and dialogue in a world riven by conflict, as he opened his first foreign trip as pope on Thursday with a plea for peace amid efforts to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV started his third day in Turkey on Saturday with a visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. The visit was a gesture of respect towards the Islamic world, fraternity with Muslims, and continuity in building bridges of interreligious dialogue, though the pope declined an invitation to pray in the Muslim house of worship.

Pope Leo’s quiet stop at Istanbul’s Blue Mosque underscored the fragile, necessary work of Muslim-Christian dialogue in Turkey, observers said.

Pope Leo XIV completes pilgrimage to Turkey, meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and religious leaders while promoting peace and unity before traveling to Lebanon.

Pope Francis' visit to Turkey was highly appreciated by Muslims because of the care and interest he demonstrated for them, and for his acknowledgement that not all Muslims are terrorists, a local scholar has said. "The Turkish people deeply appreciated the ...

Christians are still the largest religious minority in the Middle East, the region where Jesus was born, lived and died, but the community is shrinking.