Madonna has called on Pope Leo to travel to Gaza amid the ongoing genocide, asking him to "bring your light to the children before it's too late. As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering. The children of the world belong to everyone. You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry. There is no more time. Please say you will go. Love, Madonna."
Pope Leo has been outspoken critic of the IDF onslaught on the Palestinian people. During a Mass for the Jubilee of Young People in Rome last week, Pope Leo expressed solidarity for Palestinian children who are suffering the hands of the IDF. The late Pope Francis maintained daily contact with Gaza City's Holy Family Church before his death, the parish priest of the region's only Catholic church.