Pope Leo XIV and Palestinian leader Abbas meet to address Gaza situation

Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time on Thursday, to discuss the urgent need to provide assistance to civilians in Gaza and pursue a two-state solution to end the conflict in the region.

The meeting, which lasted about an hour and was described as "cordial" in a brief Vatican statement, comes nearly a month after the US-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect in the Gaza Strip.

"During the cordial talks, it was recognised 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.

The recently elected pontiff and Abbas had not previously met in person. The two spoke by telephone in July, when the leader of the Catholic Church reiterated the need for full respect for international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and holy sites and the prohibition of indiscriminate use of force.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the Vatican in September, meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace before talks in the Secretariat of State with Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul R Gallagher.

The pontiff and his top diplomats told Israel's president that a two-state solution was the "only way out of the war," as the Vatican called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli government has rejected the possibility of the two-state solution, in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said would be "a reward" to Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for two decades.

Abbas serves as president of the Fatah-run Palestinian Authority (PA). The Palestinian governing body under the Oslo Accords maintains partial civilian control in the West Bank.

Abbas arrived in Rome on Wednesday afternoon, and visited the Basilica of St Mary Major to pay his respects to late Pope Francis' tomb.

Over the years, Abbas had met the late Pope Francis several times, including a notable 2014 prayer for peace in the Vatican Gardens with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, during which they planted an olive tree.

Abbas and Pope Francis maintained frequent phone contacts after Hamas' militant attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel's offensive in Gaza.