The pontiff also reflected on the kingdom of God as a treasure that enlarges life and unites people of different backgrounds in Christ.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday urged parties across the Middle East to suspend their attacks and reopen diplomatic negotiations, warning that escalating military operations were endangering civilians and worsening shortages of drinking water and electricity.

“I continue to follow with deep concern the ongoing and escalating violence in the Holy Land where, in recent days, many civilians, both in the West Bank and in Gaza, have once again fallen victim,” the pope said July 26 after leading the Angelus from the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo.

His remarks followed one of the most tense days in the West Bank in recent months. A shooting in Tell, southwest of Nablus, reportedly killed at least four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers and was followed by attacks by Israeli settlers against several Palestinian communities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently announced that military operations would be intensified in areas Israel considers centers of terrorism.

“I make a heartfelt appeal for a return to negotiations to achieve a just political solution, founded on the equal dignity and equal rights of every human person,” Pope Leo said.

“At the same time, I urge the rejection of further military actions and unilateral decisions, especially those that violate the respect for and the status quo of the holy places of every religion.”

The pope also renewed his appeal concerning the wider Middle East, where he said intensified military operations had “again wreaked violence and destruction, endangering the lives of countless civilians and further aggravating the shortages of drinking water and electricity.”

“From the depths of my heart, I exhort all parties involved to suspend the attacks and urgently reopen paths of dialogue and diplomacy, so that the longed-for peace for the entire region may be achieved without delay,” he said.

Pope Leo invited the faithful to continue praying for people throughout the world who are suffering because of war.

“May the Lord touch the hearts and enlighten the minds of those in power, so that reconciliation and peace may soon prevail,” he said.

Prayers for wildfire victims

The pope also expressed his closeness to people affected by devastating wildfires in France and Spain and called for prayers for both the victims and emergency workers involved in relief efforts.

The fires have forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes, while forecasts of temperatures reaching approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit were expected to increase the danger in the affected areas.

Beatification of Elias Hoyek

Pope Leo recalled the July 25 beatification in Lebanon of Elias Hoyek, who served as Maronite patriarch of Antioch from 1899 to 1931 and founded the Congregation of the Maronite Sisters of the Holy Family.

“For more than 30 years, he led the Maronite Church with great dedication and pastoral sensitivity,” the pope said.

“A man of dialogue and hope, he was an outstanding ecclesial, social, and political leader, so much so that he came to be known as the ‘Father of Greater Lebanon.’”

The pope prayed that the new blessed’s intercession would accompany Maronite Catholics throughout the world and obtain peace for Lebanon, “a country dear to my heart.”

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Pope Leo also marked the sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, whose theme was drawn from the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I will never forget you.”

“Together, let us give thanks to the Lord for the gift that the elderly are to the Church and society,” he said.

“Let us also commit ourselves to respecting and valuing the precious role they play and to ensuring that they always receive the care, attention, and assistance they deserve.”

The kingdom of God enlarges life

During his Angelus reflection, Pope Leo focused on the Gospel’s images of the kingdom of God as a hidden treasure and a pearl of great price.

“The parables convey the surprise of those who find something far beyond what they could have hoped for, so much so that selling or leaving everything behind no longer seems a sacrifice but a gain,” he said.

The pope said the evangelists present Christ’s call to discipleship as irresistible.

“It is a free choice, yet also urgent and capable of eliciting a ready and wholehearted response,” he said. “Encountering his kingdom marks a turning point that does not limit life but enlarges it.”

“If anything must change on our part, it is only so that our lives may be opened to greater possibilities, not fewer.”

Pope Leo noted that the figures appearing in Christ’s parables include peasants, merchants, travelers, fishermen, scribes, shepherds, farmers, and women carrying out ordinary household tasks.

“In short, the kingdom of God reveals its inestimable beauty in different ways but calls everyone — men and women, young and old, rich and poor — to a profound renewal,” he said. “Everyone is capable of understanding it and is drawn to it.”

The pope said the Church likewise brings together people with different backgrounds, cultures, abilities, and responsibilities.

“Yet all are called to recognize themselves as ‘one’ in Jesus Christ: He is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net that gathers those who are scattered,” he said.

“From the beginning, Jesus called and gathered around himself people who would otherwise never have come to know one another. In this way, he demonstrated that God has no favorites but instead offers his love freely, especially to the little ones or those cast aside.”

Pope Leo concluded by urging Catholics to ask for the wisdom sought by the young King Solomon: the ability to recognize what is truly valuable.

“While the consumer culture influences our tastes, constantly creating new needs only to sell us solutions that never satisfy, and that sometimes even poison the heart, we must learn to grasp what truly matters,” he said.

That treasure, the pope continued, is “a relationship with God that opens us to joy and helps us to live our relationships with one another more fully.”

The July 26 Angelus was Pope Leo’s final Sunday appearance during his summer stay at the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo. He was scheduled to return to the Vatican on Monday, July 27.

The pope was expected to return to Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, July 29, to meet young choristers participating in the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s Voices Of Global Gathering at the Borgo Laudato Si’. Bocelli was scheduled to perform a musical work titled “Cantico di Pace.”

This story was first published in two parts by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.