Pope Leo XIV has echoed his predecessor’s urgent call for an end to the assault that has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians.

Pope Leo XIV, the first American to head the global Catholic Church, pledged on Wednesday to make "every effort" for peace and offered the Vatican as a mediator in global conflicts, saying war was "never inevitable".

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Leo XIV has told the world's Jewish communities he wants to strengthen the Roman Catholic Church’s dialogue with them, in a message coming after a souring of relations between the Vatican and Israel over the war in Gaza.

The Catholic office overseeing the Gaza church with which the late Pope Francis communicated daily has shared with Newsweek a message following the selection of a new pontiff in the midst of the ongoing war.

How will Pope Leo XIV confront global crisis? - The world receives a message of ‘peace and justice’ from the Vatican amid global turmoil and a long shadow of abuse in the church

Pope Leo XIV has only been in the job one day and already faces a packed schedule of religious services, diplomatic meetings and Holy Year events, many of which were organised for his predecessor Francis.

Cardinal Robert Prevost, who was just elected as Pope Leo XIV, studied under a pioneer in Jewish-Catholic relations when he attended seminary in Chicago.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas welcomes Pope Leo XIV, urging him to uphold the legacy of Pope Francis, whom he praises for his support of Palestinian rights.