Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday but didn't stop to pray, as he opened an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey’s religious leaders and a Mass for the country's tiny Catholic community.

Ahead of his visit, Leo shared a Thanksgiving message with NBC News encouraging all people "to recognize that we have all received so many gifts."

Blasts rocked two tankers from Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea near Turkey's Bosphorus strait on Friday, causing fires on the vessels, and rescue operations were launched for those on board, Turkish authorities and sources said.

The American pope emphasized a message of peace as he arrived in Ankara, welcomed on the tarmac by a military guard of honor and at the presidential palace by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Pope Leo XIV makes historic first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, marking 1,700 years since Council of Nicaea while supporting persecuted Christians.

The vice president visited Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border on Wednesday to meet members of the military and serve them an early holiday meal with the help of his wife, Usha, daughter Mirabel, and sons Ewan and Vivek.

Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday at the start of an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Turkey’s religious leaders.

Here are answers to the most frequently asked turkey questions, including the biggie: At what temperature is my turkey done? (That would be 165 degrees, measured by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh.) We also have a video showing you how to carve the turkey.

Think turkey makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner? This popular myth gets debunked as experts reveal the real reasons behind post-feast drowsiness.