Pope Leo’s Missed Opportunity

Rabbi Barbara Aiello | TOI Blogs | Dec 3, 2025

Pope Leo XIV. Photo by Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikipedia

A 15-minute drive. A missed opportunity. Several days ago Pope Leo XIV made his first official journey outside the Vatican. The pope traveled to Turkey where he met with Catholics, Christians and Muslims. In fact the Muslim encounter included a visit to Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque, a name that highlights the thousands of hand-made turquoise ceramic tiles that grace the Muslim house of prayer.

The Vatican said in a statement that Pope Leo made time for the mosque visit  “in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer.” The spokesperson went on to emphasize the importance of  “fraternity with Muslims” with whom the pope hoped to continue an interfaith dialogue.

Interestingly had the pope wanted to emphasize inclusivity in a country with an ancient and rich Jewish heritage, he could have easily done so. A short drive, just 15 minutes from the Blue Mosque, and Pope Leo would have found himself at the door of the Neve Shalom Synagogue and 5 minutes more would have brought him to the Ahrida Synagogue that was built in Istanbul in 1694, and is Turkey’s oldest Jewish house of worship.

Full disclosure, Pope Leo did make a Jewish connection, brief though it was. On the first day of the four day visit the pope met with the chief rabbi of Turkey, David Sevi. The Vatican describes the meeting as a brief private conversation that was a late addition to the pope’s schedule.

Never mind that the history of Turkey’s Jews spans move that 2,400 years and includes the country’s warm welcome to the Sephardi Jews expelled from Spain (by its Christian rulers) in 1492. During the time of the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish Jewish community experienced what was termed its Golden Age – a period that continued throughout the early 21^st Century when a spate of antisemitic violence began in earnest. In fact although the Jewish community has suffered antisemitic attacks, including the bombing of the Neve Shalom Synagogue in 1986 and then again as recently as 2003, the Jews of Istanbul have maintained a consistent presence, honoring Jewish tradition and promoting community service and interfaith understanding.

Optics count and missteps are not easily forgotten. Nearly one year ago (December 7 to be exact) the Vatican faced well-deserved criticism for its Nativity scene that featured a sculpture of baby Jesus swaddled in the keffiyeh, the signature scarf symbolizing Palestinian protest. The scene was unveiled to the public by none other than Pope Francis himself. The result was a level of negative comments first from Rome’s Jewish community and later from Jewish leaders worldwide who pointed out that the display was an overt denial of Jesus’ well-established Jewish heritage.

Certainly it was not as flamboyant and provocative, but Pope Leo’s neglecting to visit a Turkish synagogue, literally located minutes from the mosque, where he preached “inter-religious dialogue,” among the “children of Abraham,” was at best a missed opportunity and at worst a snub. It’s one thing to preach inter-religious dialogue. It is quite another to take the actions necessary to demonstrate that belief.