Palestinian president, Gazans call on Leo XIV to keep late pope’s ‘peace efforts’ alive

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Gaza’s Christian community, and Hamas have urged newly elected Pope Leo XIV to continue the peace efforts of his predecessor, Pope Francis, Arab News reported. Abbas sent his best wishes to Pope Leo XIV, emphasizing the Vatican’s important moral and political role in advocating for the Palestinian people’s rights to liberty and independence.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a missionary from Chicago, was unexpectedly elected as the first US pope, taking the name Leo XIV. Gaza’s small Christian population expressed hope that the new pope would maintain the same focus on the war-torn enclave as Pope Francis, who regularly called the Holy Family Church in Gaza during the 2023 conflict.

The war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023, leading to Israeli military responses that have devastated Gaza. Hamas welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s election, expressing hope he would continue supporting the oppressed and oppose the ongoing violence.

Gaza’s Christian community, numbering around 1,000, remains committed to peace amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis.