VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV appealed for an end to hostilities in Gaza during his first general audience as pope.
On May 21, Pope Leo XIV addressed 40,000 attendees gathered in St. Peter’s Square, calling for an end to the situation in the Gaza Strip, where many are lacking food and basic care.
“The situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying and painful,” Leo said.
“I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of decent humanitarian aid and to end the hostilities whose heartbreaking price is paid by children, the elderly, and the sick,” he added.
Gaza is facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to an ongoing Israeli military blockade that has halted deliveries of supplies since early March, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition among Gaza civilians.
The ceasefire from January collapsed in March, leading to intensified violence, destruction of infrastructure, and restricted access to essentials like food, water, and medical supplies.
This is not the first time Leo has called for peace in Gaza. During his first Sunday address, he called for an end to wars currently waging across the world. “Never again war,” he urged, citing the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Pakistan by name.
Leo has also emphasized a call for unity in Christ. Similarly, Leo urged journalists who covered the recent conclave to use communication to promote “peace.”
“Peace begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others,” he declared last week. “In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance: We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.”
After Leo’s call for peace in the Middle East, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, called for action to bring peace to the Christians suffering in the Holy Land.
“We cannot afford the luxury of giving up and stopping; we owe it first and foremost to our local Christians, and to all those who are there; we must do everything possible to bring aid,” he said.
In recent months, the Holy Land has seen escalating violence, desecration of churches, and growing anti-Christian hostility.
