Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time on Thursday, urging urgent humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza and renewed efforts toward a two-state solution to end the long-running conflict.
The meeting, held at the Vatican and described as “cordial,” lasted about an hour. It came nearly a month after a US-brokered ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip. In a brief statement, the Holy See said the talks underscored “the urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution.”
It was the first in-person meeting between the newly elected pontiff and Abbas, who had previously spoken by telephone in July. During that call, the Pope had emphasised respect for international humanitarian law, protection of civilians and holy sites, and the prohibition of indiscriminate violence.
President Abbas visits Pope Francis’ tomb
Israeli President Isaac Herzog met Pope Leo at the Vatican in September, where the pontiff and senior Vatican diplomats reiterated that a two-state solution remained “the only way out of the war.” The Holy See has consistently urged a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and stronger diplomatic engagement between Israel and Palestine.
Israel’s government has continued to reject a two-state framework, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting that such a move would amount to “a reward” for Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly twenty years.
Abbas, who leads the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority, arrived in Rome on Wednesday and visited the Basilica of St Mary Major to pay his respects at the tomb of the late Pope Francis.
Abbas and Pope Francis met several times before the latter’s death, including a 2014 prayer for peace at the Vatican Gardens with then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, where the leaders planted an olive tree as a symbol of hope.
