Pope Leo reaffirmed the Vatican’s long-held stance on the Middle East on Sunday, telling reporters that a sovereign Palestinian state remains the sole workable resolution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We all know that at this time Israel still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution," Leo, the first U.S. pope, told journalists on a flight from Türkiye to Lebanon during his first in-flight press conference.
"We are also friends with Israel and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone," added the pope, speaking in Italian.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed opposition to a Palestinian state after even its biggest ally the U.S. indicated support for Palestinian independence.
Leo spoke in a brief eight-minute press conference focused on his visit to Türkiye, which he visited from Thursday to Sunday on his first overseas trip since election in May as leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
The pope said he and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan discussed both the Israel-Palestinian and Ukraine-Russia conflicts. Türkiye has an important role to play helping end both wars, Leo said. During his visit to Türkiye, the pope warned that humanity's future was at risk because of the world's unusual number of bloody conflicts and condemned violence in the name of religion.
Leo, who usually prefers using careful, diplomatic language, ramped up criticism earlier this year of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
Türkiye is predominantly Muslim but is also home to Bartholomew I, spiritual leader of the world's 260 million Orthodox Christians.
Leo praised Türkiye as an example of religious co-existence.
"People of different religions are able to live in peace," said the pope. "That is one example of what I think we all would be looking for throughout the world."
Leo is visiting Lebanon until Tuesday, when he returns to Rome.
