THE LAGOS STATE WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT OFFICE (LSWMO), YESTERDAY, SEALED OFF SOME BUILDINGS/PROPERTIES ACROSS THE STATE OVER DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL INFRACTIONS.(PHOTO). #PRESS RELEASE
Pope visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque to meet Turkish religious leaders
Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul’s historic Blue Mosque on Saturday, walking through the 17th-century landmark in his white socks but choosing not to pray, as he began a busy day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey’s Christian leaders, emphasizing unity among Christians.
During the visit, an imam guided Leo through the mosque, pointing out the soaring tiled domes and Arabic inscriptions. While the imam, Asgin Tunca, invited the pope to pray, Leo declined. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the pope “experienced his visit to the mosque in silence, in a spirit of contemplation and listening, with deep respect for the place and the faith of those who gather there in prayer.” The Vatican later corrected its bulletin to remove references to a planned moment of prayer.
Leo follows a tradition of popes visiting the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, as it is formally known, in gestures of respect to Turkey’s Muslim majority. Previous visits by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 and Pope Francis in 2014 included moments of silent prayer.
After leaving the mosque, Leo met privately with Turkey’s Christian leaders at the Syriac Orthodox Church of Mor Ephrem and later planned to pray with Orthodox spiritual leader Patriarch Bartholomew at Saint George Patriarchal Church, where they were expected to sign a joint statement promoting Christian unity. The pope highlighted the next Holy Year in 2033 and invited leaders to journey to Jerusalem for “full unity.”
Leo concluded the day with a Catholic Mass at Istanbul’s Volkswagen Arena for the country’s roughly 33,000 Catholics.
On the logistical side, the pope’s ITA Airways Airbus A320neo was affected by a worldwide software update required after a European safety agency investigation into a recent flight incident. Vatican officials said the update would be installed in Istanbul before Leo departs for Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday for the second leg of his inaugural trip as pope.
Comments
Post a Comment