Pope Leo XIV spoke about the need to end the wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine in phone conversations with the presidents of Israel and Ukraine on this Good Friday morning, April 3.

The Vatican issued press statements revealing that the pope had spoken with the presidents separately. Following the Vatican’s usual diplomatic protocol, the statements did not share who initiated the conversations, but America has learned from an informed Vatican source that the conversations were initiated by the Israeli and Ukrainian sides.

After Leo’s conversation with the Israeli president Isaac Herzog, the Vatican issued a brief and concise statement.

“This morning, April 3, a phone call took place between the Holy Father Leo XIV and Mr. Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel, on the occasion of the paschal festivities.”

This year Catholics and Jews are celebrating the paschal feasts around the same time. Jews celebrate the feast of Pesach (Passover) this year, the 5,786th year in the Hebrew calendar; the feast began at sundown on April 1 and will end at nightfall on April 8. Catholics, on the other hand, follow the Gregorian calendar and therefore celebrate Easter (the paschal feast) on Sunday, April 5, while Orthodox Christians, who follow the Julian calendar, will celebrate on April 12.

Significantly, the Vatican statement said that, on the call between Pope Leo and President Herzog, “the need to reopen all possible channels of diplomatic dialogue was reiterated, to put an end to the serious conflict underway, with a view to a just and lasting peace throughout the Middle East.”

Ever since Israel and the United States launched the war against Iran on Feb. 28, Pope Leo has repeatedly called publicly for an end to the conflict and has emphasized the need to open negotiations through dialogue. He did so again last Tuesday evening, March 31, at Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence. Responding to a question from CNN, he said he hopes President Donald Trump is looking for “an off ramp” to end the war with Iran and “for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing, which would be a significant contribution to removing the hatred that’s being created and that’s increasing constantly in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

Leo then added, “I would certainly continue to give this call to all leaders of the world and say, come back to the table to dialogue. Let’s look for solutions to problems. Let’s look for ways to reduce the amount of violence that we’re promoting. That peace, especially at Easter, might reign in our hearts.”

In this morning’s conversation with Israel’s president, the Vatican said they also spoke about “the importance of protecting the civilian population and promoting respect for international and humanitarian law.” Pope Leo strongly emphasized the urgent need for this in his January 9 speech to the ambassadors from the 184 countries that have diplomatic relations with the Holy See, and lamented the fact that it is not happening. Indeed countries, including those engaged in the Iran war, are undermining these laws.

President Herzog, who attended Leo’s papal inauguration on May 18, 2025, and has also spoken with the pope by phone, revealed more about his conversation with the pope, and from Israel’s particular perspective. This is clear from the statement released by the President Herzog’s spokesperson at about the same time the Vatican press statement was released. The Israeli statement specifically mentions both Iran and Lebanon, a country the pope visited late last year, where Israel has again launched a military offensive against Hezbollah in reprisal for the latter’s attack against Israel and is seeking to take control of part of southern Lebanon.

According to the Israeli president’s spokesperson:

“On April 3, 2026, President Isaac Herzog spoke with His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, to exchange greetings for the Passover and Easter holidays. President Herzog extended his warmest wishes for the Easter holiday to Christian communities across the Middle East and around the world.

“During their call, they discussed the war with Iran, including the ongoing threat of missile attacks by the Iranian regime and its terror proxies against people of all faiths in the region. President Herzog recalled the recent Iranian missile attacks on Jerusalem that fell in the area of sites holy to Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

“They also spoke about the situation in Lebanon, including the importance of the safety and security of Christian communities on both sides of the border. President Herzog emphasized that the Hezbollah terror organization cannot be allowed to continue threatening both the people of Israel and Lebanon, who both deserve a future of peace and stability.

“President Herzog expressed to Pope Leo XIV the great importance of the State of Israel’s relationship with the Holy See, the Catholic Church, and Christians around the world. He also underscored the importance of the cooperation of all world and religious leaders in the crucial fight against antisemitism.

“They expressed their shared hope for a more peaceful future for people of all faiths across the world, free from the threat of violence and bloodshed.”

It is perhaps noteworthy that there is no mention in either the Vatican or the Israeli statement of the tensions produced on Palm Sunday when Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from entering the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. President Herzog intervened directly to help ease these tensions, following negative reactions in many countries. Since then, the Israeli government has ensured that Cardinal Pizzaballa will have full access to the basilica for religious services during Holy Week. Presumably both sides consider the problem closed.

This Good Friday evening, Pope Leo will visit Rome’s Coliseum and carry the cross for all fourteen Stations of the Cross, and the accompanying meditations, written by an Italian Franciscan priest, Francesco Patton, who lived many years in the Holy Land, and will focus on the fact that the world today is experiencing “The Way of the Cross.”

Pope speaks with Ukraine’s President

In a second press statement today, the Vatican revealed that Pope Leo and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had again spoken by phone this Good Friday morning. The two leaders have already had three face-to-face conversations and have also spoken together by phone.

The Vatican described the conversation as “cordial” and said “the Holy Father expressed his good wishes on the occasion of the Easter festivities, reaffirming his closeness to the Ukrainian people.”

The statement said, “The humanitarian situation was then discussed, reiterating the urgency of ensuring the necessary aid to the population tried by the conflict.” The war began 1,500 days ago on Feb. 24, 2022, when President Putin ordered Russian forces to invade Ukraine.

Furthermore, “Reference was also made to efforts to promote humanitarian initiatives, especially with regard to the release of prisoners.” The Vatican, through the engagement of Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, has been involved in seeking the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, and it seems with some success.

The statement concluded by saying that both the pope and the Ukrainian president again expressed the hope that “with the commitment and collaboration of the international community, a cessation of hostilities and a just and lasting peace can be achieved as soon as possible.” Pope Leo has also repeatedly called for an end to this war and for a just and lasting peace achieved through dialogue and negotiations. He has spoken by phone with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and has publicly offered the Vatican as a venue for peace negotiations, but Russia has rejected this. 

After his conversation with the pope, President Zelensky also issued a statement via Telegram which read:

“I spoke today with Pope Leo XIV. Right during this conversation, Russia attacked Ukraine again – hundreds of Shahed drones and dozens of missiles against our cities and towns. The attack has been ongoing since nightfall, and at least five regions have already been hit. Not a single hour of rest for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for a ceasefire at Easter. Essentially, the Russians have only increased the intensity of the strikes and, instead of calm in the sky, are carrying out an Easter escalation. This cannot be ignored, and I am grateful to everyone in the world who does not stay silent about this.”

President Zelensky said he “also thanked the Vatican for its role in helping to return our kidnapped children and for all the humanitarian aid it has provided to our people, especially during this hard winter. We also discussed the situation in the Middle East and in the Gulf region.”

From his very first speech as pope on the day of his election, Pope Leo XIV has called for peace and an end to the armed conflict. On Easter Sunday, he will again address the world. and it is expected that he will speak out strongly and call for an end to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as in other countries around the world.

Gerard O’Connell is America’s senior Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.