The meeting comes nearly a month after the establishment of a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel, which followed two years of war.
Abbas, who heads the Palestinian Authority and Fatah – a rival of Hamas that has controlled Gaza since 2007 – and Pope Leo previously spoke by phone in July, but this was their first face-to-face meeting since the US cardinal took over as head of the Catholic Church in May.
Prima udienza apr #LeoneXIV and Mahmoud #Abbas nel Palazzo Apostolico vaticano, nell’ambito del viaggio del leader palestinese in Italia programmato da tempo pic.twitter.com/pCRwtRvOhW
— Vatican News (@vaticannews_it) November 6, 2025
– During the cordial conversation, the need to turn to the two-state solution and provide assistance to civilians in Gaza was highlighted – the Vatican statement said.
The meeting took place ten years after the Vatican formally recognized the state of Palestine, by signing an agreement in 2015. Abbas previously met several times with Pope Francis, who died in April.
Unlike Francis, who in the last months of his pontificate criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza more harshly, Pope Leo XIV is currently using a more moderate tone – expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people, but avoiding the use of the term “genocide”.
Ahead of the meeting, Abbas laid flowers at the tomb of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome on Wednesday.
– I cannot forget what he did for Palestine and its people – said Abbas.
On Friday, Abbas will also hold a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni.
(Vijesti.ba)
