ISTANBUL: Thousands of worshippers battled the rain to join Pope Leo XIV as he celebrated mass in Istanbul on Saturday, the last full day of his visit to Turkiye.

Earlier, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, huddled with local church leaders and met Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at his palace on the banks of the Golden Horn estuary.

After two days of blue skies and sunshine, the heavens opened, but the downpour did little to dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance, some of whom had travelled for hours to see Leo on his first overseas trip as pope.

Ahead of the ceremony, the streets were filled with umbrellas as people walked through the rain towards the stadium, the crowd giving off a palpable buzz of excitement.

“I’m going to the mass, for me it’s the first time in my life!” beamed 68-year-old Gigi Moke from the Republic of Congo. “This is a historic moment, it’s a lot different from seeing someone on TV,” said Kasra Esfandiyari, a 27-year-old Iranian Christian refugee who travelled six hours from the western resort city of Izmir with his mum.

“It was something I could not miss, to feel the presence of all the people here, the presence of the Holy Spirit — and the pope. I’m very happy.” Inside the Volkswagen Arena, which is more used to hosting headline music gigs, an altar had been set up on a red-carpeted platform with tall candles and flowers against the backdrop of a huge cross.

As Leo entered, dressed in the rich purple chasuble embroidered with gold worn to mark the start of the Advent period leading up to Christmas, many of the 4,000 or so worshippers rose to their feet, a correspondent at the mass said.

With prayers and readings in many different languages, the service was interwoven with beautiful and haunting choral interludes.

In his address, Leo urged believers to “build bridges of unity” — within their communities, with Christians from other denominations and “with brothers and sisters belonging to other religions”.

“We want to walk together by appreciating what unites us, breaking down the walls of prejudice and mistrust, promoting mutual knowledge and esteem in order to give to all a strong message of hope,” he said.

‘Really fantastic’

Among the crowd were both foreigners and locals, brought together by a shared faith.

“We’re so happy to see the pope, it’s a significant visit,” said Istanbul resident Cigdem Asinanyan, expressing hope it would “raise awareness” about Turkiye’s Christian minority.

“We travelled for seven hours by bus to get here because for us as Christians, being close to the pope is like being close to God,” said Spaniard Elena Gimenez Marques, 44, who lives in Izmir.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2025