Pope Leo XIV reaffirms two-state solution as only path to peace in Middle East
Pope Leo XIV, during the Angelus on August 16 in Castel Gandolfo, reiterated the Holy See's long-standing position that a two-state solution is the only viable path to a just and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. This stance, consistently upheld by popes for nearly 80 years, is seen as the sole means to ensure justice and peace, despite the dramatic escalation of violence in the Middle East since October 7, 2023, and the Israeli government's categorical rejection of the solution. Pope Leo XIV urged the international community to work towards progress on the two-state solution, condemning violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The concept of a two-state solution, first proposed in 1947 by the UN General Assembly for the partition of Mandatory Palestine, became the cornerstone of the Holy See's diplomatic doctrine on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the 1980s. Pope Pius XII called for order in Palestine in 1948. Pope Paul VI, in 1964, recognized the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and advocated for Jerusalem to be an open, inviolable city. Pope John Paul II strongly asserted the right of Palestinians to an independent state and Israel's right to live in security, a message reiterated in his 1984 encyclical Redemptionis anno and during his 2000 pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Pope Benedict XVI, in 2009, also affirmed the two-state solution as essential to halting violence. Pope Francis further formalized this commitment through diplomatic actions,
