Pope Leo XIV visited a historic mosque in Turkey during his first foreign trip — and although he customarily took off his shoes, the pontiff declined to join in prayer, according to reports.

The Chicago-born leader of the Catholic Church attended Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday — with the Holy Father removing his footwear as a sign of respect to the iconic house of worship, which requires the removal of shoes by all visitors.

Then touring the mosque in just his white dress socks, Pope Leo XIV did not appear to engage in prayer.

Pope Leo XIV visits the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, commonly known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey. STRINGER/EPA/Shutterstock

The muezzin of the Blue Mosque, who is responsible for the call to prayer, told journalists that he explicitly invited the pope to pray, but the Holy Father said he preferred just to visit the holy site.

His decision to sidestep prayer caught the Vatican off guard, which initially sent out a press release stating the pope had prayed at the Blue Mosque.

The release was later rescinded, according to Reuters, with the Vatican writing the pope “experienced the visit to the Mosque in silence, in a spirit of recollection and attentive listening.”

Pope Leo XIV, who was elected in May, joked with the muezzin when he was being led out of the mosque through a door marked “no exit.”

“It says no exit,” Leo said smiling, to which the muezzin replied, “You don’t have to go out, you can stay here.”

Pope Leo XIV became the third modern pontiff to visit the Blue Mosque, following in the un-shoed footsteps of Benedict XVI, who visited in 2006, and Francis who visited in 2014.

Pope Leo XIV toured the holy site in just his socks. AFP via Getty Images

The Holy Father puts his shoes back on after visiting the Ottoman-era Sultan Ahmed or Blue Mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday. AP

Pope Francis prayed facing Mecca, while Pope Benedict XVI prayed silently, according to the Vatican.

Leo also broke from his two predecessors by not visiting the vaunted Hagia Sophia, which was converted from a museum to a mosque in 2020.

The pontiff’s trip will next take him to visit Lebanon.

With Wires