1+ day, 11+ hour ago (639+ words) Pope Leo visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday, removing his shoes in a sign of respect but not appearing to pray in his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church to a Muslim place of worship during his four-day visit to Turkey. Leo, walking in white socks, smiled during the 20-minute visit and joked with one of his guides, the mosque's lead muezzin " the official who leads the daily calls to prayer. The Vatican appeared surprised that Leo had not stopped to pray during the visit and that he had not been welcomed to the mosque by the head of Turkey's state-run religious organisation, known as the diyanet, as had been planned. About three hours after the visit, the Vatican released a press statement saying both the prayer and the welcome had occurred, though they had not. The Vatican…...