The musical artist Madonna recently called on Pope Leo to travel to Gaza amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis, asking him to “bring your light to the children before it’s too late” via ABC.
“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,” Madonna wrote in an Instagram post on Monday.
“Politics Cannot affect Change. Only consciousness Can. Therefore I am Reaching out to a Man of God,” Madonna wrote in the caption of her post.
For months, humanitarian aid organizations and international bodies have warned that Gaza is facing critical levels of hunger, with famine becoming imminent in certain areas of the Gaza Strip.
A report released in late July by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global initiative that monitors hunger, stated that “the worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in the Gaza Strip” and that “access to food and other essential items and services has dropped to unprecedented levels.”
Pope Leo XIV, who began his papacy in May, is the first American-born pope and the 267th pope of the Catholic Church.
He has been outspoken about the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza. Last week, during a Mass for the Jubilee of Young People in Rome, Pope Leo expressed solidarity for the children who are suffering as a result of Israel’s war with Hamas.
“In communion with Christ, our peace and hope for the world, we are closer than ever to young people who suffer the most serious evils which are caused by other human beings. We are with the young people of Gaza,” he said.
The previous leader of the Catholic Church, late Pope Francis had maintained daily contact with Gaza City’s Holy Family Church before his death, the parish priest of the region’s only Catholic church told ABC News after his death in April.
In the caption of her Instagram post, Madonna said she was calling on the pope to visit Gaza on her son Rocco’s birthday.
“I feel the best gift I can give to him as a Mother – is to ask everyone to do what they can to help save the innocent children caught in the crossfire in Gaza,” she wrote.
The “Material Girl” singer also called for the release of the Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas since the war began on October 7th, 2023.
She said that she is “not pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides.”
“Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages. I pray that they are released as well,” Madonna wrote.
