Pope calls to end ‘indiscriminate’ force and ‘displacement of populations’ in Gaza

Published August 27, 2025 11:32am ET



Pope Leo XIV offered his strongest rebuke yet of the Israel-Hamas war, joining Christian leaders in the region demanding an end to the “forcible mass displacement of civilians.”

The pontiff fiercely criticized the “collective punishment” taking place in the Gaza Strip during his Wednesday audience, while simultaneously pleading for the immediate release of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas.

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