Fatimah Otunsanya
Pope Leo XIV, on Thursday, received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Vatican for talks on the situation in the Middle East.
Both sides agreed that the conflict in the region can only be resolved through a two-state solution, the Holy See reported, describing the talks as “cordial.”
The meeting was the first face-to-face meeting between Leo, 70, and Abbas, 89.
The two leaders also discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and agreed on the urgent need to provide aid to the civilian population.
Abbas had an audience with Leo’s predecessor Pope Francis in the Vatican in December 2024.
Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority in 2005 and has been in office ever since, without a subsequent election.
The Palestinian Authority runs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but lost control of the Gaza Strip when the Islamist militant group Hamas seized control in 2007.