(MENAFN) Pope Leo XIV has stated that a two-state resolution is the sole approach capable of ensuring justice for both Israelis and Palestinians.

He made these remarks while traveling from Türkiye to Lebanon on Sunday, marking the second segment of his first international journey as pontiff.

The Vatican officially recognized Palestinian statehood in 2015, and the Holy See has consistently supported a two-state settlement.

However, his statements during the flight represented his most emphatic call yet for formal international acknowledgment, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Gaza.

“We all know Israel does not accept that solution at the moment, but we see it as the only one,” Leo told journalists.

“We are also friends of Israel,” he continued, emphasizing that the Vatican would maintain its role as a “mediating voice” to help advance “a solution with justice for all.”

When questioned about his private discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara and whether they had addressed the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the Pope confirmed that they had.

He noted that Türkiye holds an “important role to play” in resolving both crises. Concerning negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Turkish leader “helped very much to convoke the two parties,” Leo remarked.

“Unfortunately we still haven’t seen a solution, but today there are concrete proposals for peace, and we hope that President Erdogan with his relationship with the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, can help in this way to promote a dialogue, a ceasefire, and to see how to now resolve this conflict, this war in Ukraine,” the Pope added.

On the matter of Gaza, Leo reiterated the Holy See’s long-standing endorsement of a two-state resolution.

The establishment of a Palestinian state has long been regarded on the international stage as the only viable path to ending the protracted conflict.

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