Leo XIV receives Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Vatican

Pope Leo XIV received this Thursday at a private audience in the Vatican to the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, in an increasingly tense international scenario, marked by the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The Israeli president arrived at the Vatican Apostolic Palace minutes before 10:00 a.m. (local time). After meeting with the Holy Father, he was also received by the Secretary of State of the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

During the meetings with the Holy Father and in the Secretary of State, the political and social situation in the Middle East was addressed, where numerous conflicts persist, paying special attention to the tragic situation in Gaza.

According to the Vatican, the desire “of a prompt resumption of negotiations, so that, with brave disposition and decisions, as well as with the support of the international community, the liberation of all hostages, urgently reaching a cessation of permanent heat, facilitating safe access to humanitarian aid to the most affected areas and guaranteeing full respect for humanitarian law, as well as the legitimate aspirations of both peoples”.

Two states as the only way out of war

They also talked about how to guarantee a future to the Palestinian people and the peace and stability of the region, reiterating by the Holy See the solution of the two states as the only exit to the current war. There was no need to refer to the situation in the West Bank and the important issue of the city of Jerusalem.

In the course of the meetings, the historical importance of the relations between the Holy See and Israel was valued, and some issues related to the relations between the state authorities and the local Church were also discussed, paying special attention to the importance of Christian communities and their commitment in the place and in every Middle East, in favor of human and social development, especially in the areas of education, the promotion of social cohesion and the stability of the region.

“Israel is proud of his Christian community”

For his part, Herzog expressed his gratitude for the meeting through his profile of the social network X. In addition, he said that “above all, Israel strives by all possible means to bring back to the hostages that are in Brutal captivity at the hands of Hamas.”

“Israel longs for the day when the peoples of the Middle East – the children of Abraham – can live in peace, cooperation and hope, he added.

He also indicated that the state of Israel “is committed to freedom of religion for all confessions and determined to continue working for peace, tranquility and stability throughout the region.”

“Israel is proud of its Christian community and is dedicated to guaranteeing the security and well -being of Christian communities in the Holy Land and in the Middle East,” he wrote on the social network.

Finally, he said he value the “vital inspiration” and leadership of the Pope in the fight against hatred and violence, “as well as in the promotion of peace worldwide.”

This is the first meeting behind Herzog, 64 and at the head of the Isarelí Presidency since 2021, and Leo XIV, although both had already coincided during the Mass of the beginning of the Pontificate held in the Vatican on May 18.

On the meeting on Thursday, the director of the press office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, said that the Vatican accepted the invitation by the Israeli presidency: “It is a usual practice of the Holy See to accept the audience requests addressed to the Pontiff by heads of state and government, but not invite them.”

In the first months of Pontificate, Leo XIV has repeatedly denounced the humanitarian crisis suffered by the civilian population of Gaza due to the attacks of the Israeli army, especially at the end of the general hearings of each Wednesday and during the angelus prayer every Sunday.

The Holy Father has demanded in particular that humanitarian law is respected in the Gaza Strip, the liberation of the hostages that still maintains Hamas and exhorted those responsible to negotiate “a future of peace for all peoples and to reject everything that can harm it”.

At the end of the Angelus of the past July 20Pope Leo XIV requested that “the barbarism of war immediately be stopped” and that “the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of the indiscriminate use of strength and the forced displacement of the population.”

It should be remembered that the Holy Father He received a call From Benjamín Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, after an Israeli attack on July 17 against the parish of the Sagrada Familia de Gaza, the only Catholic Church in the Strip that is used as a refuge for more than 500 people since the beginning of the war in October 2023.

The attack caused the death of three people and left a dozen injured, some of them seriously. During the conversation, Leo XIV renewed his call to urgently reactivate the negotiation process, in order to reach a high fire and put an end to war.

After the hearings in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the president visited the archives and the Vatican Library, before returning to Israel in the afternoon.