On Tuesday, Issa Kassissieh, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Holy See and member of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States. During the meeting, he delivered a letter from H.E. President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, addressed to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV. In the letter, President Abbas expressed deep appreciation for the Pope’s principled and courageous positions, particularly his consistent calls to end the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people.
The meeting was held to mark the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement between the State of Palestine and the Holy See, concluded on June 24, 2015. Through this agreement, the Vatican officially recognized the State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders.
Both parties reaffirmed their full commitment to the agreement’s provisions and discussed reviewing certain elements of the text in coordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs. These efforts aim to further strengthen the status of the Catholic Church in Palestine and to support the continuity of the indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land.
The discussion also underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral relations and working jointly to achieve justice and peace based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions. They also emphasized the need to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people and safeguard its religious and cultural identity.
In a related development, Ambassador Kassissieh also delivered a message from Dr. Ramzi Khouri, member of the PLO Executive Committee, and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, to Archbishop Gallagher. The letter was accompanied by a brief report addressed to the Patriarchs, Eminences, and Heads of Churches, documenting the ongoing Israeli crimes and violations against the Palestinian people. The message called upon churches worldwide to raise their voices and take urgent action to stop these violations and hold Israel accountable before the international community.
