Pop icon Madonna posted an urgent plea to Pope Leo Monday urging the Catholic leader to “go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late.”
The post marked one of the first times that Madonna has commented on the ongoing war in Gaza since she joined a list of celebrities in a campaign called #NoHostageLeftBehind weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
In two similar posts on Instagram and X, the superstar, who was raised Roman Catholic, said she was calling on the new pope to visit the besieged enclave because he is “the only one of us who cannot be denied entry.”
“We need the humanitarian gates to be opened fully to save these innocent children. There is no more time. Please say you will go,” she continued.
In the caption of the posts, which were published on her son Rocco’s birthday, Madonna said that she felt that “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,” adding that she was not “pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides.”
In the caption of the Instagram post, Madonna added that: “Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages. I pray that they are released as well.”
She also urged her followers to donate to the World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief organization; Women Wage Peace, an Israeli organization; and Women of the Sun, a Palestinian group that advocates for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Pope Leo has consistently advocated for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel since he assumed the papacy in May. In his first Sunday address after assuming the role, he called for a ceasefire, increased humanitarian aid in Gaza and the freeing of the hostages, adding that he was “deeply pained by what is happening in the Gaza strip.” His predecessor, Pope Francis, frequently drew backlash for his pro-Palestinian advocacy, including in November 2024 when he called for an investigation into claims of genocide allegedly perpetrated by Israel in Gaza.
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