**Pope Leo XIV Calls for Courage in Gaza Peace Efforts Amid Upcoming Summit**
*VATICAN CITY* — Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for “courage” from those forging a peace plan for Gaza, as world leaders prepared to attend a summit aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.
“The agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land,” the US-born pontiff said at the conclusion of Sunday’s Angelus prayer. “I encourage the parties involved to courageously continue on the path toward a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.”
On Monday, US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will chair a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh focused on ending the war in the Gaza Strip. International leaders will discuss implementing the first phase of a ceasefire, nearly two years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack triggered a counter-offensive by Israel that has resulted in the deaths of more than 67,000 Palestinians.
“Two years of conflict have left death and destruction everywhere, especially in the hearts of those who have brutally lost their children, their parents, their friends, and everything,” Pope Leo said. He prayed for divine assistance to “accomplish what now seems humanly impossible: to rediscover that the other is not an enemy, but a brother to look to, forgive, and offer the hope of reconciliation.”
The pope also expressed his “sorrow” following news of “new, violent attacks that have hit several cities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, causing the deaths of innocent people, including children.”
“My heart goes out to the suffering population, who have lived in anguish and deprivation for years,” he said, once again calling for “an end to the violence.”
In recent months, Kyiv has reported that diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have slowed, partly due to global focus shifting toward the war in Gaza. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged President Trump to broker peace in Ukraine as has been sought in the Middle East, stating that if “one war can be stopped, others can be stopped as well.”
*AFP*
https://kashmirreader.com/2025/10/13/pope-leo-urges-courage-in-next-steps-of-gaza-peace-deal/