VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV held his first meeting with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Thursday, where the Vatican said they discussed the “urgent need” to help the civilian population in Gaza.

The visit comes almost a month into a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, following two years of war triggered by the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023, attack.

Abbas is the longtime head of the Palestinian Authority, which exerts limited control over parts of the West Bank. His Fatah movement is the rival to Hamas, which took control of Gaza in 2007.

Abbas and Leo spoke by telephone in July but Thursday was their first in-person meeting since the American took over as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May.

“During the cordial talks, it was recognized that there is an

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