ROME – Pope Leo XIV will hold a high-stakes meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Vatican for a this week, a meeting that will apparently touch on topics such as the safety of Christians in the Middle East and other “political matters.”

A Vatican spokesman indicated that while the pope did not personally invite Herzog, the meeting is nevertheless being met with great anticipation.

In a Sept. 2 statement announcing Herzog’s visit to Rome, a spokesperson for the President’s office said that Herzog will depart for Rome Thursday morning for a daytrip and will meet with Pope Leo and the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“Central to their meetings will be the efforts to secure the release of the hostages, the fight against global antisemitism, and the safeguarding of Christian communities in the Middle East, alongside discussions on other political matters,” the statement said.

Following his formal meetings, Herzog will have a tour of the Vatican Archives and Library before returning to Israel that afternoon.

Since his election, Pope Leo has attempted to walk a very delicate and balanced line on the Gaza war, repeatedly calling for peace and for access to humanitarian aid, however, he has also consistently urged the release of all hostages.

In his Aug. 27 general audience catechesis, he lamented that the Gaza war is causing “so much terror, destruction, and death.”

The Gaza War broke out Oct. 7, 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel that left 1,200 dead and saw 251 people taken as hostages.

Israel launched a retaliatory ground and air offensive in Gaza to oust Hamas from leadership, with the ensuing conflict resulting in the deaths of around 70,000 people to date in Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities.

A peace deal struck earlier this year broke down, and meanwhile, Israel has increased its attacks on Gaza, with civilians comprising the majority of the thousands who have been killed.

On July 17, 2025, an Israeli tank fired on the Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, where hundreds have been sheltering. The attack killed three people and injured several others, including Father Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of the church.

Fighting in Gaza and prohibitions on entry into the territory has left much of the population without access to basic necessities, such as food, water, energy and medical supplies, as well as critical humanitarian aid.

In his appeal last Wednesday, Pope Leo implored that all hostages be freed, that a permanent ceasefire be reached, and asked that the safe entry of humanitarian aid be facilitated and humanitarian law be fully respected, “particularly the obligation to protect civilians and the prohibitions on collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations.”

“Let us implore Mary, Queen of Peace, source of consolation and hope. May her intercession bring reconciliation and peace to that land so dear to all,” he said.

The Holy See has consistently urged a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, repeatedly voicing the conviction that it is the only viable way to end the decades of violence that have plagued the region.

In an editorial published Sept. 2 on Vatican News, the Vatican’s official state-run media platform, Editorial Director Andrea Tornielli lamented the polarization surrounding the war, as well as the “manipulation, simplification, and approximation which, in such a complex context, risk misleading and doing harm.”

“This can be seen in the language used, in an extremely emotional approach, and in the inability to try to listen to the other,” he said.

He called Hamas’s attack on Israel in 2023 “an inhuman act of terrorism” but he also called Israel’s retaliation “disproportionate, going well beyond any ethically acceptable limit, as recognized not only by numerous international authorities but also by many voices within Israel itself and more broadly within the Jewish world.”

Tornielli opined that in addition to retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, “massacre,” Israel has “other objectives,” such as the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the annexation of all territories in the area and the forced deportation of all Palestinians.

All of these things, he said, “lead one to think that the objective goes far beyond the elimination of Hamas or the guarantee of security for the State of Israel.”

Noting that there have even been new settlements approved in recent days, while the war continues to rage, Tornielli said this is illustrative of plans for a “new Middle East” and is evidence “first quietly and now ever more openly, (of) a kind of new order in which, however, there seems to be no place for the Palestinian people.”

While thousands of Palestinians are being evacuated and “special zones” are being designated for those who choose to stay, Israel continues to increase its military operations, despite widespread condemnation from the international community, Tornielli noted, and condemned “the weakness of the international community and multilateral bodies.”

Tornielli said the church’s weapons are those of prayer and the Gospel message of peace and insisted that no future can be built with force or on “contempt for human life, or on the refusal of people’s aspiration to a dignified and secure existence.”

He also called for the release of all hostages still being held by Hamas and also asked that Palestinians be treated with dignity and humanity, voicing hope that no-combat zones will be established in Gaza and that so-called “voluntary evacuations” of Palestinians will end.

As the conflict continues, Tornielli said the church will continue to care for humanity and attempt to heal its wounds while advocating for a lasting peace that leads to a future without resentment or hatred.

“For several years now, the Holy See has formally recognized the State of Palestine, and we cannot remain silent in the face of what is happening,” he said, asking that “the barbarity of war be stopped.”

He also asked that “a peaceful solution to the conflict be reached, that humanitarian law be observed, that the obligation to protect the civilian population be respected, and that collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of the population be prohibited.”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the pope had invited President Isaac Herzog to the Vatican. 

Follow Elise Ann Allen on X: @eliseannallen