Pope, Palestine president discuss ‘alarming’ situation in Middle East

ROME – Pope Leo XIV and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke over the phone Monday to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East, with the pope reiterating the need for peaceful dialogue amid escalating conflict.

A March 16 communique from the Vatican said the pope received a phone call from Abbas that day “concerning the alarming developments in the conflict in the Middle East and the living conditions of the Palestinian people.”

“During the conversation...