Palestinian President visits tomb of Pope Francis

Upon his arrival in Rome, the leader of the State of Palestine visits the Basilica of St. Mary Major for a moment of reflection before the tomb of the late Pope Francis.

By Stefano Leszczynski (Vatican News)

Immediately following his arrival in Rome on Wednesday afternoon, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited the Basilica of St Mary Major to pay his respects at Pope Francis’ tomb.

At 4:30 p.m. the head of the State of Palestine, accompanied by Father Ibrahim Faltas, former vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, entered the Basilica, leaving about fifteen minutes later.

President Abbas laid a floral tribute on the marble tomb, which bears the simple inscription Franciscus.

President Abbas at the late Pope's tomb: Statement to journalists

Speaking to the journalists waiting on the church steps, President Abbas said: “I came to see Pope Francis because I cannot forget what he did for Palestine and for the Palestinian people, and I cannot forget that he recognized Palestine without anyone having to ask him to do so.”

Tomorrow morning, Thursday, November 6, Mahmoud Abbas will meet Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, nearly a month after the ceasefire agreement came into effect in the Gaza Strip.

President Abbas leaves the church following his visit to the late Pope's tomb

Olive tree planting in 2014

Eleven years ago, Abbas took part in a historic prayer gathering in the Vatican Gardens together with Pope Francis and then-Israeli President Shimon Peres, during which an olive tree was planted as a symbol of peace. Also present was Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I.

Over the years, Abbas met Pope Francis several times, maintaining frequent phone contact after Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent strikes on Gaza. The most recent audience between the Palestinian President and Francis took place on December 12, 2024. Both reiterated the urgent need to address the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza and emphasized that the two-state solution must be achieved through dialogue and diplomacy.

Meeting with Pope Leo XIV

President Abbas spoke via phone with Pope Leo XIV on July 21, focusing on developments in the conflict in Gaza and violence in the West Bank.

During that conversation, a note from the Holy See Press Office said, the Pope renewed his appeal for full respect of international humanitarian law, stressing the obligation to protect civilians and sacred sites, and condemning the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of civilians.

In the same call, Leo XIV also recalled the tenth anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on June 26, 2015, which entered into force on January 2, 2016.