Pope Leo XIV called on Wednesday for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the Gaza Strip, using his first general audience in St. Peter’s Square to highlight a situation he described as “heart-rending.”
Calling the growing hunger crisis in Gaza “increasingly worrying and painful,” Leo appealed for “the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, whose heart-rending price is being paid by children, the elderly and sick people.” His words were greeted with loud applause.
The pope’s comments came just days after the leaders of Britain, Canada and France, allies of Israel, called on Israel’s government to get more aid to Gaza. Since a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas broke down in March, Israel has withheld some aid in an effort to pressure the group to free dozens of remaining hostages.
The Vatican estimated that some 40,000 people were present in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday for the pope’s general audience, his first since being elected on May 8. Since then, he has used several public appearances to call attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as the war in Ukraine.
Three days after his election, in his first public remarks, he called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and called on Hamas to release hostages still held in the territory. The militant group’s attack on Israel in 2023 prompted the war in Gaza.
“Let humanitarian aid be provided to the stricken civil population, and let all the hostages be freed,” he said in his first official message as pope.
Wednesday’s renewed appeal to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza came at the end of the weekly general audience, a longstanding appointment that popes have kept with the faithful for years. The encounter typically involves a reflection on a theme and ends with brief remarks on a topical issue.
Elisabetta Povoledo is a Times reporter based in Rome, covering Italy, the Vatican and the culture of the region. She has been a journalist for 35 years.
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