Pope renews Gaza ceasefire call as UN experts declare war ‘genocide’

Pope Leo XIV has called for a ceasefire while decrying the plight of Palestinian people in Gaza.

In his weekly general audience at the Vatican, the leader of the Catholic Church said, “I express my profound closeness to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who continue to live in fear and survive in unacceptable conditions, forced once again from their own lands.”

He called for the warring parties (Israel and Hamas) to respect human dignity, stating: “Throughout human history, every person always has an inviolable dignity, to be respected and upheld.”

Leo XIV, the first American pope elected in May, continued: “I renew my appeal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and a negotiated diplomatic solution, in full respect of international humanitarian law.”

He invited people to join him in prayer that “a dawn of peace and justice may rise soon.”

The renewed appeal comes as Israel continues its genocidal war against Palestine, killing women, children and unarmed civilians.

The United Nations inquiry and the world leading experts on genocide have declared the war a genocide against Palestinians.

This isn’t the first time that Pope Leo has called for a ceasefire in Gaza. He met Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier this September and lamented the tragic situation in Gaza during the meeting.