The Vatican recognized Palestine a decade ago, and Pope Leo has backed statehood, even if that looks increasingly unlikely.
Rome — Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican on Thursday, marking their first in-person encounter since the Chicago native was chosen to lead the Catholic Church in May. The two had spoken previously on the phone.
The hour-long meeting, described by the Holy See as 'cordial,' focused on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and renewed calls for a two-state solution, a position the Vatican has consistently promoted as the only viable path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians.The talks came nearly a month after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took hold in Gaza, bringing a fragile calm following two years of conflict that began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.According to a Vatican statement, both leaders agreed on 'the urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza,' and to 'end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution,' which would see an independent Palestinian state created alongside Israel.Abbas' visit also marked the 10th anniversary of the 'Comprehensive Agreement' signed in 2015 between the Holy See and the State of Palestine — which saw the Vatican, like a rising number of countries, formally recognize Palestinian statehood. Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, which partially administers some of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but holds no sway in Gaza, arrived in Rome on Wednesday and visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where he laid flowers at the tomb of the late Pope Francis, whom he called 'a great friend of Palestine.'For Abbas, the meeting offered an opportunity to reaffirm international backing for a Palestinian state at a time when the idea seems increasingly remote on the ground. Abbas has said the PA, which he heads, is ready to step into post-war Gaza to administer the densely populated territory, but Netanyahu's government has rejected any future role for the PA or Hamas in the strip. Netanyahu has also clearly ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state while he is prime minister, and his coalition government includes hard-line factions that espouse building Israeli settlements in the strip instead.The American pope has echoed his predecessor's support for Palestinian rights while striking a less critical tone on Israel. He has condemned the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza and called for sustained humanitarian aid, but stopped short of labeling Israel's military operation against Hamas in the territory as 'genocide,' as Pope Francis did late in his pontificate.The Vatican's continued advocacy for a two-state solution underscores a broader reality: While the concept remains a cornerstone of international diplomacy — championed by most governments worldwide and the United Nations, though not clearly by the Trump administration — it carries less traction in the region itself.Recent polling shows that most Israelis and Palestinians no longer believe such an arrangement is feasible. Among Palestinians, a late October poll shows shrinking optimism for statehood amid disillusionment with the Palestinian Authority and a recent trend of greater backing for Hamas, which has softened its stance slightly in recent years, but still calls for the creation of a Palestinian state in place of Israel.
War Vatican City Mahmoud Abbas Hamas Israel Palestinians Middle East Pope Leo XIV Catholic Church
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