Pope meets Palestinian President, calls for urgent action on Gaza

The historic meeting. Image: Vatican Media

Source: Vatican Media

On Thursday morning at the Vatican, Pope Leo met with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, and discussed the "urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza". The conversation was the first encounter between the pair, who had previously spoken only over the phone.

A statement from the Holy See Press Office described the meeting as "cordial", adding that among the topics discussed was also the urgent need to "end the conflict by pursuing a two-State solution".

The day before his meeting with Pope Leo, President Abbas had visited the Basilica of St Mary Major to pay his respects at Pope Francis' tomb. The visit was his first act upon arriving in Rome on Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking to the journalists waiting on the church steps, President Abbas said: "I came to see Pope Francis because I cannot forget what he did for Palestine and for the Palestinian people, and I cannot forget that he recognized Palestine without anyone having to ask him to do so."

President Abbas' visit to Francis' tomb, during which he was accompanied by Egyptian Franciscan friar Ibrahim Faltas, a former Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, lasted about fifteen minutes.

The President laid a bouquet of flowers on the simple marble tomb, which bears the inscription Franciscus. President Abbas' visit to the Vatican also marked the 10th anniversary of the signing of the 'Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine'.

The text, signed on the 26 June 2015, expresses both parties' commitment to Palestinian self-determination and the two-state solution.

It also stresses the symbolic and spiritual significance of Jerusalem for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.