Browsing News Entries

Need a Christmas Miracle? How to Pray the Never-Failing Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Are you praying the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena this year? It is so powerful, and a great way to prepare your heart for Christmas!

Pope visits famous Istanbul mosque but does not pause to pray

ISTANBUL (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV, like his two immediate predecessors, visited the so-called Blue Mosque in Turkey's capital; he spent about 20 minutes inside but did not appear to pause for prayer as Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis had done.

Instead, he listened to Askin Musa Tunca, the mosque's muezzin who calls people to prayer five times a day, explain the building, its construction and how Muslims pray. And the pope asked questions. 

Pope Leo looks at the ceiling of the Blue Mosque
Pope Leo XIV looks up at the ceiling of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly called the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul during a visit Nov. 29, 2025. Kurra Hafiz Fatih Kaya, the imam of the mosque, is to the right of the pope; Emrullah Tuncel, the mufti of Istanbul, is to the left of the pope; and Askin Musa Tunca, the mosque's muezzin, wearing a suit and tie, is guiding the visit. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Tunca told reporters afterward that the mosque is "the house of Allah -- it's not my house; it's not your house," and so he told Pope Leo he could pray if he wanted. "'That's OK,' he said, he wanted to see the mosque."

Reporters pressed Tunca, asking again if the pope prayed. "Maybe to himself, I don't know," he responded.

The Vatican press office said afterward that Pope Leo visited the mosque "in a spirit of reflection and attentive listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer."

As is customary, Pope Leo removed his shoes in the courtyard before entering the mosque in white socks. 

A minaret of the Blue Mosque at sunrise
One of the six minarets of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly called the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul is seen shortly after sunrise before Pope Leo XIV visits Nov. 29, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Formally called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Muslim house of prayer was complete in 1617 and is known as the Blue Mosque because of the more than 21,000 blue tiles that decorate its walls, arches and domes. The tiles come from Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, which Pope Leo had visited the day before.

Leaving the mosque, Pope Leo noted to Tunca that they were going through a doorway with a sign that said, "No exit." The muezzin replied that the sign was for tourists but, if the pope preferred, "you do not have to go out. You can stay here."

Pope Benedict XVI had visited the Blue Mosque in 2006, and Pope Francis toured it in 2015. Both had paused for a moment of silence facing the mihrab, which indicates the direction of the Islamic holy city of Mecca. St. John Paul II was the first pontiff to visit a mosque when he went to the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, Syria, in 2001. 

Pope Leo visits the Blue Mosque in Istanbul
Pope Leo XIV walks with Turkish Muslim leaders and aides as they exit the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, after a private visit in Istanbul, Turkey, Nov. 29, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

In late October Pope Leo had led Vatican celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council's document on relations with other world religions. The bishops at Vatican II said Catholics have esteem for their Muslim brothers and sisters, who "adore the one God, living and subsisting in himself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth," and "they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even his inscrutable decrees."
 

Nov. 29 Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Weekday

It is the Liturgical New Year's Eve: today is the last day of Ordinary Time and the current Liturgical Year. Evening marks the beginning of Advent and the New Liturgical Year..

The Amazing Story of the Forgotten Catholic Hero of the First Thanksgiving

Most tellings of the Thanksgiving story leave out the crucial role played by Squanto, the English-speaking Catholic Native American hero.

Though Nicaea is a ruin, its Creed stands and unites Christians, pope says

IZNIK, Turkey (CNS) -- Although the ancient city of Nicaea lies in ruins and the geographic center of Christianity has shifted West, Pope Leo XIV and Christian leaders gathered at an archaeological site in Turkey to celebrate the enduring faith set out in the Nicene Creed.

Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hosted the ecumenical prayer service and the common recitation of the Creed Nov. 28 at Iznik, site of the ancient Nicaea, about 80 miles southeast of Istanbul.

With the Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem or their representatives and with representatives of other Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant churches, Pope Leo marked the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea -- the primary motive for his first foreign trip as pope. 

Pope Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew at Nicaea commemoration
Pope Leo XIV processes alongside Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew following an ecumenical prayer service in Iznik, Turkey, Nov. 28, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

The joint recitation of the Creed did not include the phrase known as the "filioque" -- the statement that the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son" -- since the phrase is not used by the Orthodox because it was inserted into the Latin Creed by Pope Benedict VIII in 1014.

Recent popes, including Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis and Pope Leo, have omitted the phrase at ecumenical prayer services.

Standing on a platform overlooking the remains of the Basilica of St. Neophytos, now partially submerged in Lake Iznik, the church leaders took turns leading the prayers -- in English, Greek and Arabic -- and lighting candles as a Catholic choir, singing in Latin, and an Orthodox choir, singing in Greek, alternated. 

Pope Leo and Patriarch Bartholomew at Nicaea commemoration
Pope Leo XIV joins Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and other Christian leaders for an ecumenical prayer service in Iznik, Turkey, Nov. 28, 2025, to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Patriarch Bartholomew, welcoming the pope and other guests, noted that "despite so many intervening centuries and all the upheavals, difficulties and divisions they have brought, we nevertheless approach this sacred commemoration with shared reverence and a common feeling of hope."

"The power of this place does not reside in what passes away, but in what endures forever," he said.

Speaking after the patriarch, Pope Leo told his fellow Christian leaders that at a time when humanity is "afflicted by violence and conflict," the world "is crying out for reconciliation."

"The desire for full communion among all believers in Jesus Christ is always accompanied by the search for fraternity among all human beings," he said. "In the Nicene Creed, we profess our faith 'in one God, the Father.' Yet, it would not be possible to invoke God as Father if we refused to recognize as brothers and sisters all other men and women, who are created in the image of God." 

Though united by faith, the Russian Orthodox Church -- the largest of the world's Eastern Orthodox churches -- was not represented at the service. The Russian church broke relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate over the recognition in 2018 of the autonomy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 

Pope Leo flying in a helicopter to Iznik, Turkey
Pope Leo XIV looks out a helicopter window at the city of Iznik, Turkey, site of the ancient city of Nicaea, Nov. 28, 2025. Through the window on the right are seen the remains of the Basilica of St. Neophytos. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Belief in God the father, Pope Leo said in Iznik, means "there is a universal fraternity of men and women regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion or personal perspectives."

With many of the Christian leaders, especially the Oriental Orthodox, coming from nations that recently faced or are facing war and persecution, Pope Leo said Christians must give concrete witness to their belief that all people are children of one God and therefore brothers and sisters to each other.

"Furthermore, we must strongly reject the use of religion for justifying war, violence or any form of fundamentalism or fanaticism," he said. "Instead, the paths to follow are those of fraternal encounter, dialogue and cooperation."

The pope also repeated a concern he had mentioned during a meeting with Catholic leaders earlier in the day: the risk that many Christians have departed from the Nicene Creed's firm belief in the divinity of Jesus.

"This question is especially important for Christians, who risk reducing Jesus Christ to a kind of charismatic leader or superman, a misrepresentation that ultimately leads to sadness and confusion," he said.

At the time of the Council of Nicaea, the pope said, Arius -- a priest from Alexandra in Egypt -- had denied the divinity of Christ, reducing him to "a mere intermediary between God and humanity, ignoring the reality of the Incarnation such that the divine and the human remained irremediably separated."

"But if God did not become man, how can mortal creatures participate in his immortal life?" Pope Leo asked.

The pope told the Christian leaders that sharing the same faith in Jesus and being able to recite the Creed together means there "is a profound bond already uniting all Christians."

"We are all invited to overcome the scandal of the divisions that unfortunately still exist and to nurture the desire for unity for which the Lord Jesus prayed and gave his life," the pope said. "The more we are reconciled, the more we Christians can bear credible witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a proclamation of hope for all."

Patriarch Bartholomew told the leaders that with "the fervor of the faith of Nicaea burning in our hearts," they must "run the course" of Christian unity in fulfillment of Jesus' prayer for the unity of his disciples.

"And, finally," the patriarch said, "let us love one another that with one mind we may confess: Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- Trinity consubstantial and undivided."
 

Nov. 28 Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Weekday

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. James of the Marches (1391-1476). St. James became a doctor of canon and civil law, and then decided to live austerely as a Franciscan friar. St. James studied theology with Saint John of Capistrano. He became a popular preacher, traveling all over Italy and through thirteen Central and Eastern European countries converting an estimated 250,000. He is considered one of the fathers of the modern day pawn shop.

Why the Eucharist is the Ultimate Thanksgiving (Literally!)

The Greek word for Eucharist, εὐχαριστία, means “thanksgiving.”

Pope arrives in Turkey giving thanks, preaching peace

ANKARA, Turkey (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV began his first papal trip speaking of dialogue, peace and thanksgiving -- referring to both the holiday and his own gratitude.

On the plane to Turkey Nov. 27, he wished a Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans among the 80 journalists traveling with him and told them, "It's a wonderful day to celebrate."

He also received from reporters two pumpkin pies and a pecan pie; he said he would share "part of it."

Pope Leo also was given a baseball bat that had belonged to 1950s White Sox player Nellie Fox.

After expressing his appreciation, the pope asked, "How did you get that through security?" 

Pope Leo accepts a travel-sized pumpkin pie
Pope Leo XIV receives a travel-sized pumpkin pie from Cindy Wooden, editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, during his Thanksgiving flight Nov. 27, 2025, to Turkey. Off to the right, Elise Allen, senior correspondent of Crux, prepares to hand the pope a full pie. (CNS photo/Claudio Lavanga)

During the flight, speaking to the reporters from the front of the economy section of the ITA Airways plane, Pope Leo said, "I want to begin by saying thank you to each and every one of you for the service that you offer to the Vatican, to the Holy See, to my person, but to the whole world. It's so important today that the message be transmitted in a way that really reveals the truth and the harmony that the world needs."

Landing in Ankara after the flight of almost three hours, Pope Leo fulfilled the dictates of protocol as a visiting head of state, meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Safi Arpagus, the head of the national religious affairs office, known as the Diyanet.

Later, addressing the president, other government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and civic leaders, Pope Leo told them, "Today, more than ever, we need people who will promote dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient resolve." 

Turkish President Erdogan and Pope Leo in Ankara, Turkey
Pope Leo XIV is welcomed to the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Nov. 27, 2025, the first stop on Pope Leo's first foreign papal trip. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

After World War II, he said, the world came together and formed the United Nations and other international and regional organizations committed to dialogue, cooperation and conflict resolution.

"We are now experiencing a phase marked by a heightened level of conflict on the global level, fueled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power," Pope Leo said. "This is enabling what Pope Francis called 'a third world war fought piecemeal.'"

"We must in no way give in to this," the pope insisted. "The future of humanity is at stake. The energies and resources absorbed by this destructive dynamic are being diverted from the real challenges that the human family should instead be facing together today, namely peace, the fight against hunger and poverty, health and education, and the protection of creation."

In a land where most people are Muslim, but the constitution officially proclaims the nation secular, Pope Leo praised both the tolerance of religious diversity and the encouragement given to people of all religions to practice their faith.

"In a society like the one here in Turkey, where religion plays a visible role, it is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all God's children, both men and women, fellow nationals and foreigners, poor and rich," he said.

"We are all children of God, and this has personal, social and political implications," he said, including working for the common good and respecting all people.

Pope Francis, who visited Turkey in 2014, urged all believers in God "to feel the pain of others and to listen to the cry of the poor and of the earth," the pope said. "He thus encouraged us to compassionate action, which is a reflection of the one God who is merciful and compassionate" -- as Muslims frequently repeat -- and "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love," as the Psalms say.

Pope Leo encouraged all people in Turkey and all people of good will to defend social bonds, beginning with the family. 

Pope Leo speaks to Turkish leaders in the National Library in Ankara
Pope Leo XIV speaks to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, government and civil authorities in the National Library, part of the presidential palace complex, in Ankara, Turkey, Nov. 27, 2025. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

"People do not obtain greater opportunities or happiness from an individualistic culture, nor by showing contempt for marriage or shunning openness to life," he said.

"Those who scorn fundamental human ties and fail to learn how to bear even their limitations and fragility," he said, "more easily become intolerant and incapable of interacting with our complex world."

Pope Leo asked the people of Turkey to value their diversity, both cultural and religious. And he assured them that the nation's Catholic community -- about 35,000 people or less than 1% of the population -- wants to contribute.

"Uniformity would be an impoverishment," the pope said. "Indeed, a society is alive if it has a plurality, for what makes it a civil society are the bridges that link its people together."

Unfortunately, he said, today "communities are increasingly polarized and torn apart by extreme positions that fragment them."
 

Nov. 27 Thursday of the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time; Opt. Mem. of Thanksgiving Day (USA), Weekday

Today in the United States is the Optional Memorial of Thanksgiving Day in the dioceses of the United States. In 1621 colonists in New England gave communal thanks and praise to God for his abundant mercies and blessings. This became a tradition and in 1863 Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed a legal holiday. It is celebrated liturgical with a Mass asking that each person's gratitude to God may bear fruit in loving service to neighbor. --Daily Roman Missal

'The Magnificent Mischief of Tad Lincoln': The Merciful Story Behind the First Turkey Pardon

In one of his latest books, EWTN's Raymond Arroyo captures the story of Abe Lincoln's merciful heart through his love for his son, Tad Lincoln.