Pope Leo XIV Calls for End to Violence Against Palestinian Christians in Taybeh, West Bank, Palestinian Territories

Pope Leo XIV appealed on Sunday for an end to violence against Palestinian Christians and called on the international community to increase diplomatic and mediation efforts. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered for the traditional Angelus prayer outside the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo, he said: “I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank.”

Leo also said: “I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace.”

The village of Taybeh, located in the central Ramallah highlands of the Palestinian West Bank, has seen increasingly intense and frequently violent incursions by Israeli settlers over the past several months. Before this, the village had remained for years a quiet and secure center of life and commerce, with ancient churches, archaeological treasures dating back to the Roman era, and thriving local businesses. Last week the Israeli military declared the town a “closed military zone” and prohibited entry to non-residents.

An Israeli military spokesperson said the restriction applies only to Israelis, not Palestinians, and was enacted to “protect residents in the area” following “several violent attacks by Israelis in the region.” Observers, including a leading British bishop, expressed concern about the decision. Bishop James Curry, auxiliary of Westminster and Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said in a statement published Wednesday that he was “deeply alarmed” by the designation, which prohibits Israelis, foreign nationals, and journalists from entering. “It is claimed that this is designed to prevent attacks on residents by Israeli settlers,” Curry said, “but it is far from clear that this move will achieve that objective.” He noted that the attacks have been increasing in frequency and intensity for more than a year.

The settler violence had already begun by July of last year. On July 14, 2025, the Greek Orthodox and Latin patriarchs issued a joint appeal denouncing Israeli authorities for “facilitat[ing] and enabl[ing]” attacks on Taybeh and the surrounding area, which is dotted with encroaching illegal Israeli settlements. Their statement said: “The attacks by the hands of settlers against our community, which is living in peace, must stop, both here in Taybeh and elsewhere throughout the West Bank. This is clearly part of the systematic attacks against Christians that we see unfolding throughout the region.” A community living in peace asking for protection reflects the call to defend the weak (Psalm 82:3).

Just this past week, the Catholic parish priest of Taybeh denounced the “climate of fear” he said settlers are sowing with the intention of driving locals from their land.

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