Pope Leo XIV welcomed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the Vatican on Thursday, November 6 for crucial talks focused on the complex situation in the Middle East.
The Holy See reported that the discussions were “cordial” and yielded a significant point of agreement: both leaders concurred that the conflict in the region can only be resolved through a two-state solution.
This meeting marked the first face-to-face encounter between the 70-year-old Pope Leo and the 89-year-old President Abbas.
Beyond the broader peace process, the two leaders also honed in on the immediate crisis in the Gaza Strip. They agreed on the urgent need to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the area.
Pope Leo XIV received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican on Thursday, marking their first in-person meeting amid renewed diplomatic efforts for peace in the Holy Land. The two leaders discussed urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza and reaffirmed support for a… pic.twitter.com/LJEshBhRBk— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) November 6, 2025
This visit follows Abbas’s prior audience with Pope Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, back in December 2024.
President Abbas has served as the president of the Palestinian Authority since his election in 2005. The Palestinian Authority manages parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but it lost control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 following the takeover by the Islamist militant group Hamas.
