On Tuesday, Pope Leo XIV responded from Castel Gandolfo to journalists\u00ab questions about one of the most talked-about moments of his recent trip to Turkey: his silence at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The gesture made many headlines, as the mosque's muezzin, Askin Musa Tunca, explained to the media that when he asked the Pope during the visit if he wanted to have a \u00bbmoment of praise,\u00ab the Pope told him \u00bbno, he just wanted to visit.\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since John Paul II and Benedict XVI did take a moment to pray during their visits to this place, Leo XIV's decision generated all kinds of comments. The Holy See Press Office responded by explaining that the Pope took \u00aba pause in silence, in a spirit of recollection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer.\u00bb Even so, a public discussion arose about why the Pontiff had not prayed \u00abat least visibly,\u00bb something his predecessors had done as a notable interfaith gesture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked directly by journalists why he did not pray \u00abat least visibly,\u00bb as his predecessors had done, Leo XIV replied clearly: \u00abWho said I didn't pray? That is, they said I didn't pray, but I already gave an answer on the plane; I mentioned a book.\u00bb It was about The practice of God's presence<\/em>, by Carmelite Lorenzo de la Resurrecci\u00f3n. In quoting this work, the Pope wanted to emphasize that prayer can be internal, constant, and not necessarily accompanied by external gestures. \u00abI may even be praying right now,\u00bb he added to reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pontiff added, however, that his personal preference is prayer before the Blessed Sacrament: Le\u00f3n XIV's gesture in Istanbul, experienced in silence and contemplation, thus joins a long tradition of interreligious encounters that each Pontiff has expressed in his own style. With his statements, the Pope sought to close the debate, reaffirming that prayer is not always visibly manifested, but can be deeply present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abI prefer to pray in a Catholic church in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament,\u00bb he said, downplaying the controversy and describing the commotion caused by some interpretations of his visit to the mosque as \u00abcurious.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is the book recommended by the Pope about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n