Overview
- A Vatican readout said both leaders agreed on the urgent need to assist Gaza’s civilians and to end the conflict through a two‑state framework.
- The audience coincided with the 10th anniversary of the 2015 Global Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine.
- León XIV reiterated respect for international humanitarian law, stressing protection of civilians and holy sites and rejecting indiscriminate force and forced displacement.
- The meeting, held for about an hour in the Apostolic Palace library, was behind closed doors with a translator and included a warm handshake and an exchange of gifts.
- Abbas began a three‑day visit to Rome, including meetings with Italian leaders after praying at Pope Francis’s tomb, against a backdrop of recent Vatican–Israel tensions over Gaza.