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Pope Leo XIV warned Sunday that there is no future based on violence, forced exile, or revenge in Gaza, as Palestinian officials announced that multiple countries would recognize Palestinian statehood in the coming days.
Speaking from his window overlooking St. Peter's Square during his traditional Sunday prayer, the Catholic leader expressed solidarity with those suffering in the devastated Gaza Strip under Israeli attacks.
"I repeat: There is no future based on violence, forced exile or revenge," Pope Leo XIV said, adding, "People need peace; those who truly love them work for peace."
The pontiff praised Church priests showing solidarity with those suffering in Gaza, describing the territory as devastated.
Earlier Sunday at a separate event, he emphasized his call for disarmament, saying country leaders should not use wealth against humanity or transform it into weapons that destroy people.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Varsen Aghabekian Shahin announced that more nations would recognize Palestine in what she called a historic week for the Palestinian cause.
"Tomorrow (Sept. 22) we will witness a historic day when more countries will recognize Palestine," Shahin said at a press conference at the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah, West Bank.
"Recognition of the Palestinian state means that Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian territories," she noted.
According to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, Shahin emphasized that the Palestinian government's top priority remains stopping what she called the "genocide war" in Gaza, preventing starvation and forced displacement, and protecting the Palestinian people.
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Currently, 147 of the 193 U.N. member states recognize the State of Palestine, which declared independence on Nov. 15, 1988.
With 10 more countries expected to recognize Palestine at the U.N.'s 80th General Assembly in New York on Monday (Sept. 22), the total number would rise to 157.
Shahin thanked countries that have decided to recognize Palestine and called on other nations worldwide to follow suit, noting that the international community has shown support for Palestinian rights.
British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy addressed the Palestine recognition issue during a Sky News program, recalling Britain's conditional promise to recognize Palestinian statehood.
"The Qatar attack has made the possibility of a ceasefire fall through," Lammy said, referring to conditions Britain had set for recognition.
"We had two conditions. We would do this if Israel did not return to ceasefire terms and did not act in accordance with the two-state solution process."
Lammy noted that Israel continues to establish new settlements on confiscated Palestinian land in the West Bank, stating that recognition promises were made to keep the two-state solution vision alive.
"Recognizing the State of Palestine does not establish a Palestinian state in one day," Lammy said, emphasizing that such a decision would be taken to support a process.
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