Pope Leo XIV expressed concern over the resurgence of violence in the Holy Land and called for a just political solution during the Angelus prayer on Sunday, July 26, 2026, from the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. He is scheduled to return to the Vatican on Monday, July 27.“I continue to follow with concern the persistence and escalation of violence in the Holy Land, which has recently claimed many civilians in the West Bank and Gaza,” the Pope said. His remarks came after one of the most tense days in the West Bank in recent months. A shooting in the town of Tell, southwest of Nablus, left at least four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead. The incident triggered a wave of settler attacks against Palestinian communities in the early hours of the morning. Following the events in Tell, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced an intensification of military operations in areas Israel considers hotbeds of terrorism.
“I make an urgent appeal for the resumption of negotiations in search of a just political solution, based on the equal dignity and the same rights of every human person,” the Pope urged. He also called for “the rejection of new military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate respect for and the status quo of the holy places of each religious confession.”The Holy Father renewed his call for peace throughout the Middle East. He lamented that the intensification of military operations has brought “again violence and destruction, seriously endangering the lives of numerous civilians and exacerbating the shortage of drinking water and electricity.”“From the bottom of my heart, I urge all parties involved to suspend the attacks and urgently reopen spaces for dialogue and diplomacy to achieve the much-desired peace for the entire region as soon as possible,” he added.He also asked for prayers “for all the peoples of the world who are suffering because of war.”
“May the Lord touch the hearts and enlighten the minds of those responsible, so that reconciliation and peace may soon be achieved,” he said.
In his last Angelus from Castel Gandolfo for the summer, Pope Leo XIV also expressed closeness to those affected by “devastating fires” in Spain and France. He called for prayers “for those affected and for the work of the emergency teams.” The wildfires continue to spread, with more than 320,000 people evacuated from their homes. Temperatures expected to reach 42 degrees Celsius this week are making the situation even more dangerous.The Pope recalled the beatification held Saturday in Lebanon of Elias Hoyek, Maronite Patriarch of Antioch from 1899 to 1931 and founder of the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family. “For more than thirty years he guided the Maronite Church with great dedication and pastoral sensitivity.
A man of dialogue and hope, he was a shining ecclesial, social and political reference, to the point of being called the Father of Greater Lebanon,” he said. He expressed his hope that the intercession of the new Blessed would accompany Maronite faithful around the world and obtain “the gift of peace for the Lebanese people, so dear” to him. Finally, the Pope noted that Sunday marked the sixth World Day of Grandparents and Older Persons, with the motto from the prophet Isaiah: “But I will never forget you.”
“Let us give thanks together to the Lord for the gift that the elderly represent for the Church and for society. Let us commit ourselves to respecting and valuing their precious role and to always guaranteeing them the care and assistance they deserve,” he said.