Pope calls for renewed negotiations for a just peace in the Middle East

By Linda Bordoni

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday renewed his urgent appeals for peace in the Holy Land and across the Middle East during his Angelus address in Castel Gandolfo, expressing deep concern over the escalating violence and calling for an immediate return to dialogue.

Concern for civilians in West Bank and Gaza

“I continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land,” the Pope said, noting that “many civilians have recently fallen victim, both in the West Bank and in Gaza.”

He called for “a return to negotiations aimed at achieving a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person, and for the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, particularly those that violate the respect due to and the status quo of the holy sites of every religious faith.”

Appeal for diplomacy

Pope Leo also renewed his appeal regarding the situation throughout the Middle East, where, he said, “the intensification of military operations has once again brought violence and destruction, placing the lives of countless civilians in grave danger and worsening the shortages of drinking water and electricity.”

 “I urge all parties involved to suspend their attacks and urgently reopen avenues of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the peace so greatly desired by the entire region may be achieved without delay,” Pope Leo said.

Prayers for peoples throughout the world affected by war

Pope Leo XIV encouraged everyone to continue praying for all peoples throughout the world who are suffering because of war.

“May the Lord touch hearts and enlighten the minds of those in positions of responsibility, so that reconciliation and peace may soon prevail,” he said.