Pope calls for 'sufficient humanitarian aid' into Gaza

On the first public audience in St. Peter’s square on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV called for sufficient humanitarian aid to be allowed into war-ravaged Gaza, where a total blockade has sparked critical food and medicine shortages.

Pope Leo said "The situation in the Gaza Strip is worrying and painful". Leo, who was elected on May 8 to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, has made peace, a theme of his papacy so far, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.