VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the “urgent need” to end the conflict in the Holy Land.
On Thursday morning, Leo received Abbas, president of the State of Palestine, in a private audience at the Vatican. The conversation marked the first in-person meeting between the two leaders, who had previously spoken over the phone.
“During the cordial talks, it was recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-State solution,” the Holy See said in a statement.
Many international experts, organizations, and countries, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and several U.N. bodies, have described Israel’s ongoing war against Palestinians in Gaza as a genocide. According to conservative estimates, over 295,000 Palestinians have died since October 2023, including around 130,000 children.
The Catholic bishops in the Holy Land have also sharply criticized the manner in which Israel has been waging this war since the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
READ: Netanyahu orders deadly strikes on Gaza with over 100 dead despite ceasefire deal
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, described the situation in Gaza the following way: “Total destruction, hunger, lack of healthcare, children without schools, hospitals destroyed.” He has repeatedly called for an immediate end to the war.
In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between Israel and Hamas to end the Gaza war. However, the ceasefire has been very fragile, and both parties have broken the agreement, with several hundred Palestinians being killed by the Israeli Defense Forces.
The day before meeting Leo, Abbas visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pay tribute to the late Pope Francis at his tomb.
“I came to see Pope Francis because I cannot forget what he did for Palestine and for the Palestinian people, and I cannot forget that he recognized Palestine without anyone having to ask him to do so,” Abbas told journalists.
The Palestinian president’s visit also marked the 10-year anniversary of the “Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine” that expressed both sides’ commitment to a two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination. The document also stressed the spiritual significance of Jerusalem for Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
