Why was Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Great Mosque of Damascus historic?

In May 2001, Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Great Mosque of Damascus (also known as the Umayyad Mosque) was historic because he became the first pope in history to enter a mosque.1

During this visit, he was accompanied by Muslim clerics and prayed at the shrine of St. John the Baptist, marking a significant milestone in his ongoing efforts to foster interfaith reconciliation and improve relations with Islam. Throughout his pontificate, John Paul II prioritized dialogue with other religions, holding nearly 50 substantive meetings with Muslim leaders—a number that far exceeded those of all his predecessors combined.1