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Pope Meets Palestinian Leader Abbas at the Vatican

This photo taken on December 12, 2024 by Vatican media shows Pope Francis during his private meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican.- AFP
This photo taken on December 12, 2024 by Vatican media shows Pope Francis during his private meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican.- AFP
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Pope Meets Palestinian Leader Abbas at the Vatican

This photo taken on December 12, 2024 by Vatican media shows Pope Francis during his private meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican.- AFP
This photo taken on December 12, 2024 by Vatican media shows Pope Francis during his private meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican.- AFP

Pope Francis, who has recently intensified criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza, on Thursday received Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, with whom he discussed the "serious" humanitarian situation.

The pair, who have previously met several times, discussed peace efforts during a private half-hour audience according to the Vatican, which released images of them smiling together.

Abbas then met the Holy See's Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Vatican's equivalent of a foreign minister, Paul Richard Gallagher.

The discussions focused on the Church's assistance in "the very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza", the hoped-for ceasefire, release of all hostages, and "achieving the two-state solution only through dialogue and diplomacy", a Vatican statement said, AFP reported.

The meeting comes a few days after the release of a photo showing Pope Francis praying in front of a nativity scene at the Vatican, where the baby Jesus's manger is covered with a black and white keffiyeh scarf, the symbol of Palestinian resistance.

The photo prompted a protest from the Israeli embassy to the Holy See, which asked for the keffiyeh to be removed, diplomatic and Vatican sources told AFP.

Francis has called for peace since Hamas's unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli retaliatory campaign in Gaza.

In recent weeks he has hardened his remarks against the Israeli offensive.

At the end of November, he said that "the invader's arrogance... prevails over dialogue" in "Palestine", a rare position that contrasts with the tradition of neutrality of the Holy See.

In extracts from a forthcoming book published in November, he called for a "careful" study as to whether the situation in Gaza "corresponds to the technical definition" of genocide, an accusation firmly rejected by Israel.

Francis denounced an "immoral" use of force in Lebanon and Gaza at the end of September.

The Holy See has recognized the State of Palestine since 2013, with which it maintains diplomatic relations, and it supports the two-state solution.

Abbas is also due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella in Rome.

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Arab World

UN Seeks $4.2 Billion to Face Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)
Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)
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UN Seeks $4.2 Billion to Face Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)
Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)

The United Nations has launched the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), seeking $4.2 billion to address the urgent needs of nearly 21 million vulnerable people whom the international community is failing to adequately support.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan (OCHA), emphasized that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached unprecedented levels.

“The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached unprecedented proportions, with more than half of the population in need of urgent humanitarian and protection assistance, including 16 million children - the future of this country,” she said.

Salami added that acute food insecurity has reached historic levels, particularly in conflict-affected regions of Darfur, Khartoum, and Kordofan.

After over 20 months of conflict, Sudan has become one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies.

Ongoing armed conflict and attacks against civilians, displacement, hunger, malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks have left nearly two-thirds of the population in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.

Salami said given the scale and gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the humanitarian community calls for urgent conflict de-escalation and unrestricted humanitarian access, including across borders and conflict lines, to fight famine and enable effective humanitarian action.

“We call on all parties to facilitate this access and ensure the protection of humanitarian operations and aid workers on the ground,” she said.

“We also urge the international community to provide immediate and flexible funding.”

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator added that this support is crucial for scaling up and expanding the reach of critical lifesaving aid, including cash assistance, and protection services to millions of people who need them most.

According to Salami’s statement, the 2025 HNRP is underpinned by a joint analysis of humanitarian needs in Sudan based on three key shocks – conflict, floods, and disease outbreaks – and their impact on the population and essential services.

The analysis encompasses the entire country, recognizing the widespread impact of these three identified shocks affecting a significant portion of the population in Sudan, although the severity of impact varies across different geographic areas.

An earlier OCHA statement said the humanitarian appeal for Sudan is significantly underfunded, with only $1.5 billion of the required $2.7 billion received.

The Sudanese government, which has Port Sudan as its temporary capital, denies there is a famine in Sudan.

Army Commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that the Sudanese government had met all humanitarian needs and facilitated aid delivery.

In a televised address marking Sudan’s 69th Independence Day, Burhan said that “what is being circulated about famine is pure fabrication and intended to interfere in Sudanese affairs.”

According to Sudanese organizations, 28.9 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing civil war.

A staggering 30.4 million people in Sudan - approximately 64% of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance humanitarian assistance in 2025, according to the latest OCHA report.