In a week marked by both fragile hope and persistent tension in the Middle East, Pope Leo XIV welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican for their first in-person meeting, underscoring the Vatican’s ongoing commitment to peace and humanitarian relief in Gaza. The encounter, held in the pope’s private library in the Apostolic Palace on November 6, 2025, marked a decade since the Vatican’s official recognition of Palestinian statehood—a milestone that continues to reverberate throughout international diplomacy and the region’s complex political landscape.
According to the Catholic News Service, the meeting, which lasted about an hour, was described by the Holy See as “cordial.” Both leaders recognized the “urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution.” This sentiment echoed in nearly identical terms across official Vatican statements and international media coverage, reflecting a rare moment of consensus amid a conflict that has seen few such instances in recent years.
The timing of the meeting was significant. It came nearly a month after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in Gaza, following two years of devastating conflict that began with Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. That attack left roughly 1,200—mostly Israelis—dead and resulted in another 250 being taken hostage in Gaza. Israel’s military response was swift and overwhelming, with the Gaza Ministry of Health reporting over 68,000 Palestinians killed, including some 18,000 children, and more than 170,000 injured. Even after the ceasefire, the violence has not entirely ceased; more than 200 people, many of them children, have been killed amid accusations of violations by both sides.
For the 2.1 million Palestinians living in Gaza, the situation remains dire. Severe shortages of water, food, and medicine persist, as Israel maintains strict control over border crossings. The United Nations has repeatedly called on Israel to open these crossings to allow desperately needed humanitarian aid, but Israeli officials insist that the bodies of all hostages must be returned before more aid is allowed in. According to America Magazine, under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas was to return all living and deceased hostages within 72 hours, but the group claims that the destruction in Gaza has made it difficult to locate some remains. As of the latest reports, the remains of six hostages have yet to be returned.
The meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Mahmoud Abbas was not just about marking an anniversary or reiterating long-held positions. It was also a chance for both the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority to reaffirm their shared commitment to a two-state solution—an idea that, while still championed by most of the international community and the United Nations, has lost traction on the ground. Polling cited by National Catholic Reporter indicates that both Israelis and Palestinians are increasingly skeptical that such a solution is feasible. Among Palestinians, particularly, there is growing disillusionment with the Palestinian Authority and a recent trend of increased support for Hamas, despite the group’s history and ongoing rivalry with Abbas’s Fatah party.
Mahmoud Abbas, who has served as president of the Palestinian Authority since 2005 and as chairman of Fatah, arrived in Rome on November 5. He visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, laying flowers at the tomb of the late Pope Francis, whom he described to reporters as “a great friend of Palestine.” Abbas’s visit to the Vatican was also a bid to shore up international support for Palestinian statehood at a time when prospects for peace seem increasingly remote. He has repeatedly stated that the Palestinian Authority is ready to administer Gaza in a post-war scenario, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has categorically rejected any future role for either the Palestinian Authority or Hamas in the strip. Netanyahu’s coalition government, which includes hardline factions, has also ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state as long as he remains in power.
The Vatican’s advocacy for a two-state solution is not new. With the signing of the “Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine” in 2015, the Vatican formally recognized Palestinian statehood and guaranteed the freedom of the Catholic Church in the territory. This agreement was hailed by many in the Palestinian community and received substantial international attention, as it was the first time “the State of Palestine” was used in a legal agreement between the Holy See and the Palestinian leadership. While the Vatican has been negotiating a similar agreement with Israel for over a quarter-century, no such comprehensive accord has yet been reached.
Pope Leo XIV, who succeeded the late Pope Francis, has continued his predecessor’s vocal support for Palestinian rights, humanitarian aid, and a two-state solution. However, as noted by National Catholic Reporter, Leo has struck a somewhat less critical tone toward Israel, condemning the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza and calling for sustained humanitarian aid, but stopping short of labeling Israel’s military operations as “genocide”—a term Pope Francis used late in his pontificate.
In the days leading up to the meeting, Pope Leo XIV also addressed broader regional concerns, including Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and tensions surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews. “The issue of the West Bank and these settlers is really complicated,” Pope Leo told reporters, according to CNS. “Israel says one thing and then does another sometimes. We want to try to work together for justice for all people.”
Over the years, the Vatican has maintained open lines of communication with leaders on all sides of the conflict. Pope Leo XIV has hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Jordan’s King Abdullah in private audiences and has spoken by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. In September 2025, Herzog visited the Vatican, where Pope Leo XIV and his top diplomats reiterated that a two-state solution remains “the only way out of the war,” and called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
For Abbas, the meeting with Pope Leo XIV was also a personal moment of reflection and gratitude. He has met with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, multiple times, including a notable 2014 prayer for peace in the Vatican Gardens with Israeli President Shimon Peres. “I have come to see him because I cannot forget what he did for the Palestinian people,” Abbas said after visiting Pope Francis’s tomb, as reported by America Magazine.
As the war in Gaza grinds on, with ceasefires continually under threat and humanitarian needs mounting, the Vatican’s role as a moral voice and diplomatic actor remains as crucial as ever. The meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Mahmoud Abbas may not have brought immediate breakthroughs, but it served as a powerful reminder that, even in the darkest times, dialogue and hope endure.
