Pope Leo XIV met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the first time on Thursday, to discuss the urgent need to provide assistance to civilians in Gaza and pursue a two-state solution to end the conflict in the region.

The meeting, which lasted about an hour and was described as “cordial” in a brief Vatican statement, comes nearly a month after the US-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect in the Gaza Strip.

“During the cordial talks, it was recognised that there is an urgent need to provide assistance to the civilian population in Gaza and to end the conflict by pursuing a two-State solution,” the Holy See said.

The recently elected pontiff and Abbas had not previously met in person. The two spoke by telephone in July, when the leader of the Catholic Church reiterated the need for full respect for international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and holy sites and the prohibition of indiscriminate use of force.