US President Joe Biden and Pope Francis talk about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Pope Francis and US President Joe Biden spoke over the phone on Sunday about the need for world peace and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The discussion, which lasted about 20 minutes, was mostly about scenarios of international conflict and the necessity of laying out a roadmap for peace. The Pope underlined the necessity of defending civilians in Gaza and denounced the attack carried out by Hamas against Israeli citizens. President Biden’s recent visit to Israel and his efforts to provide humanitarian relief in the region were topics of discussion. A long-term peace in the Middle East was another topic of discussion between the President and the Pope: averting regional escalation.

In the midst of what is now the third week of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Pope Francis made a sincere appeal for peace. He urged a “stop!” to war and offered his sympathies to those suffering in Ukraine. During his visit to Israel, President Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a high level and made a plea for support for the Gaza Strip’s Palestinian population. After speaking with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President Biden decided to open the restricted Rafah crossing, which connects Egypt and Gaza, to 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid.