Published On 25/10/2025
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Last update: 18:10 (Mecca time)
Today, Saturday, Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb will head to Italy to participate in the activities of a global peace conference. He will meet for the first time with Pope Leo 14, and they will discuss the importance of strengthening commitment to the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
The Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar said in a statement that Al-Tayeb is heading to the Italian capital, Rome, on an official visit to participate in the work of the global conference organized by the “Sant’Egidio” organization under the title “Finding the courage to strive for peace.”
The sheikhdom explained that the conference was attended by a number of leaders and decision makers, led by the Pope, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, in addition to an elite group of religious symbols and thinkers from around the world.
The duration of the visit was not determined, nor was the subject of the meeting between the Sheikh of Al-Azhar and the Pope of the Catholic Church, the first of its kind since his inauguration as successor to Pope Francis, according to Anadolu’s correspondent.
The Sheikh of Al-Azhar had previously congratulated the election of Pope Leo 14 on May 8, and a week later their first contact took place before the papal inauguration ceremony on the 18 of the same month.
According to the statement, Al-Tayeb is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the opening session of the conference, in which he stresses the importance of achieving peace based on justice, and the moral and humanitarian responsibility of religious leaders to work to end disputes, wars and conflicts.
Al-Tayeb’s meetings will emphasize the importance of adhering to the peace agreement hosted by the city of Sharm El-Sheikh as an essential step towards establishing security and stability in the region and the world, according to the same statement.
On October 10, the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) entered into force, according to the plan of US President Donald Trump, which, in addition to stopping the war, is based on a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, a mutual release of prisoners, the immediate entry of aid into the Gaza Strip, and the disarmament of the movement.
The agreement ended a genocidal war with American support that lasted two years, resulting in the death of 68,280 Palestinians, the injury of 170,375, and the destruction of 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.