“During the cordial talks, it was recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza.”
Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time on Thursday, with both leaders stressing the urgent need for humanitarian aid in Gaza and renewed efforts toward a two-state solution.
The Vatican described the hour-long meeting as “cordial,” noting it came nearly a month after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip. “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.
Abbas, in Rome to mark the 10th anniversary of the “Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine,” also paid his respects at the tomb of Pope Francis. Pope Leo had earlier told Israel’s president that a two-state solution was the “only way out of the war,” as the Vatican continued to press for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.