Pope Francis Meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas At Vatican

Pope Francis/DOK via Instagram @franciscus

JAKARTA - Pope Francis met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican. This was their first face-to-face meeting in three years, when the Pope became more outspoken in his criticism of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Reported by Reuters on Thursday, December 12, the Pope and Abbas held private talks for half an hour, the Vatican said but provided little details on the meeting.

Abbas also met after that with top diplomatic officials of the Catholic Church to discuss the very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza, where it is hoped that there will be a ceasefire and the release of all hostages as soon as possible.

Abbas said he thanked the Pope for his position in supporting the achievement of a just peace in Palestine based on a two-state solution.

Abbas is in Rome for a short visit this week. He is also scheduled to meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, December 13.

The Pope, as leader of the 1.4 billion Roman Catholic Church, is usually cautious in favor of conflict, but has recently been more outspoken about Israel's campaign in the ongoing conflict with the Hamas militant group.

In November, Pope Francis suggested the global community should study whether Israel's military operations in Gaza constitute genocide against the Palestinian people. The comments, which will be published in his book, come under public criticism from Israel's ambassador to the Holy Throne.

Israel says allegations of genocide in Gaza are baseless and only hunt down Hamas and other armed groups.

Gaza authorities say nearly 45,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 106,000 injured in Israeli attacks, while most of Gaza's 2 million people have lost their homes or fled due to near hunger.

Abbas and Pope Francis last met face-to-face in November 2021. During their visit on Thursday, Pope Francis awarded the president a bronze artwork with the words "Peace is a fragile flower," a gift the Pope also gave to other world leaders.

Abbas' journey to Rome comes as Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati is also scheduled to make a visit to Italy. Mikati is scheduled to meet Pope Francis on Friday.

The Pope also criticized Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, where Israel is battling the militant group Hezbollah, as an act that goes beyond morality.