Pope Leo XIV received Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday, September 4, as the Holy See presses for a ceasefire and a concrete humanitarian “road map” for Gaza. According to both sides, the agenda included the release of hostages, combating antisemitism, and the protection of Christian communities across the Middle East. After the papal audience, Herzog was due to meet Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and tour the Vatican Archives and Library.
The visit began with a brief protocol dust-up: Herzog’s office initially framed the trip as by papal invitation, while the Vatican clarified that, as a rule, heads of state request audiences and the Holy See accedes—standard practice in Rome. Whatever the phrasing, the rare encounter underscores how urgently the Vatican wants space for diplomacy as the war grinds on.
Context weighs heavily. Israel has advanced the long-stalled E1 settlement plan between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim—a move critics say would effectively split the West Bank—while senior ministers promote annexation measures that would sideline the Palestinian Authority. Such steps have drawn heightened international warnings, including from regional partners of Israel.
The Vatican’s own messaging has sharpened. In a widely read editorial, Vatican News editorial director Andrea Tornielli urged the creation of “no-combat zones” in Gaza under international protection so that the sick, the elderly, and unarmed civilians can find shelter—an appeal that mirrors Leo XIV’s repeated calls for humanitarian access and an end to forced displacement.
Pope Leo has maintained direct lines to both sides. On July 18, he took a call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an Israeli strike hit the Holy Family Catholic Church compound in Gaza, killing three and injuring others; the Pope renewed appeals for a ceasefire and for the safeguarding of worship sites. Three days later, he spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, again urging the protection of civilians and of sacred places.
What can such meetings achieve?
The Holy See’s diplomacy is incremental and people-first: securing humanitarian corridors, insisting on access for clergy and aid workers, and defending worship and movement at the Holy Places. Those priorities are embedded in the Holy See’s formal ties with the State of Palestine and in decades of Vatican engagement with Israeli authorities. They’re also grounded in Catholic teaching: “Peace is not merely the absence of war,” the Catechism reminds us; it rests on “respect for the dignity of persons” and the “tranquility of order.” (CCC 2304)
For President Herzog, the audience offers a chance to emphasize concern for hostages and to signal openness to religious leaders’ humanitarian proposals, even as military operations continue. For Pope Leo XIV—the first American pope—the moment tests whether moral authority and quiet, patient diplomacy can still carve out space for life-saving compromises when politics feels gridlocked.
However the communiqués are worded, Catholics and many others will be watching for small but real steps: commitments to protect civilians, access to medicine and food, and respect for the sacred—basic acts that can begin to mend a land revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike.
