Pope Leo XIV has urged world leaders to show “courage” as they work toward a lasting peace plan for Gaza, ahead of a major international summit on ending the conflict.
Speaking at the end of Sunday’s Angelus prayer in Rome, the U.S.-born pontiff said the recently signed peace agreement had brought “a spark of hope in the Holy Land.”
“I encourage the parties involved to courageously continue on the path towards a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples,” Pope Leo said.
The appeal comes as U.S. President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi prepare to co-chair a peace summit on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, focused on ending the two-year-long war in Gaza.
The talks will center on implementing the first phase of the ceasefire, following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked Israel’s counter-offensive, which has since claimed more than 67,000 Palestinian lives.
Pope Leo lamented the suffering caused by the conflict, saying: “Two years of war have left death and destruction everywhere, especially in the hearts of those who have lost their children, their parents, their friends—everything.”
He prayed for the strength to achieve what “seems humanly impossible,” urging both sides to “see the other not as an enemy, but as a brother to forgive and reconcile with.”
The pope also expressed grief over recent violent attacks in Ukraine, which have caused civilian deaths, including children. “My heart goes out to the suffering population, who have lived in anguish and deprivation for years,” he said, renewing his call for an end to the violence.
His message comes amid renewed diplomatic tension, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged President Trump to help broker peace in Ukraine, saying that if the U.S. leader could help end one war, “others can be stopped as well.”
