Pope Leo XIV met with Mahmoud Abbas in Rome on Thursday, in the pontiff’s first in-person meeting with the Palestinian Authority chief since assuming the papacy in May.

The pope and Abbas previously spoke over the phone on July 21, to discuss the fighting in the Gaza Strip and tensions in Judea and Samaria.

Thursday’s meeting, which lasted around an hour and was described as “cordial” in a Vatican statement, came nearly a month after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into effect in Gaza.

“During the cordial talks, it was recognized that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution,” the Vatican announced.

Immediately after touching down in Rome on Wednesday, the P.A. chief p

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