A Palestinian state is the \u201conly solution\u201d to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Pope Leo said on Sunday, reaffirming the Vatican\u2019s position.
\u201cWe all know that at this time Israel still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution,\u201d Leo, the first US pope, told journalists on a flight from Turkey to Lebanon during his first in-flight press conference.
\u201cWe are also friends with Israel and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone,\u201d added the pope, speaking in Italian.
Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed opposition to a Palestinian state after even its biggest ally the US indicated support for Palestinian independence.
Leo spoke in a brief eight-minute press conference focused on his visit to Turkey, which he visited from Thursday to Sunday on his first overseas trip since election in May as leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church.
The pope said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed both the Israeli-Palestinian and Ukraine-Russia conflicts. Turkey has an important role to play helping end both wars, Leo said.
During his visit to Turkey, the pope warned that humanity\u2019s future was at risk because of the world\u2019s unusual number of bloody conflicts and condemned violence in the name of religion.
Leo, who usually prefers using careful, diplomatic language, ramped up criticism earlier this year of Israel\u2019s military campaign in Gaza.
Turkey is predominantly Muslim but is also home to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual leader of the world\u2019s 260 million Orthodox Christians.
Leo praised Turkey as an example of religious co-existence.
\u201cPeople of different religions are able to live in peace,\u201d said the pope. \u201cThat is one example of what I think we all would be looking for throughout the world.\u201d
Leo is visiting Lebanon until Tuesday, when he returns to Rome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pope Leo says Palestinian state is the \u2018only solution\u2019 to conflict with Israel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c59-islamic-world"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n