![Pope Leo XIV delivers his blessing to the faithful as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, on September 17, 2025. [Riccardo De Luca - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AA-20250917-39139688-39139683-POPE_LEO_XIV_ATTENDS_HIS_GENERAL_AUDIENCE-1.jpg?fit=920%2C614&ssl=1)
Pope Leo XIV has condemned the Israeli occupation army’s displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, warning that “no future can be built on violence, forced exile, and revenge.”
Speaking at the conclusion of the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope said the Catholic Church “stands in solidarity with our suffering brothers and sisters in this tormented land.”
The pontiff also renewed his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza where Israel has been committing a genocide against the Palestinian people.
During his weekly general audience a few days earlier, Pope Leo XIV expressed “deep closeness” to the people of Gaza, saying they continue to live in fear and “struggle for survival in unacceptable conditions, being forcibly displaced once again from their land.”
READ: Report: Israel arrested over 360 Gaza medical personnel since October 2023
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