Meeting at the Vatican between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (left) and Pope Leo XIV, on Aug. 20, 2026. (Credit: @LBPresidency/X)
The Vatican said it is "deeply concerned" Thursday about the implementation of the framework agreement concluded between Israel and Lebanon at the end of June under U.S. auspices, during an audience granted by Pope Leo XIV to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
"The Holy See, while welcoming the signing of this document, expressed its serious concerns about the difficulties encountered in its implementation, and affirmed its support for the efforts made in this regard," the Vatican said in a statement.
On the first day of his visit to Italy, and during a roughly 30-minute audience, Aoun thanked the Supreme Pontiff for the "efforts" made on behalf of Lebanon and asked him to "continue" this support by working for Israel to "immediately put an end to its attacks against villages, infrastructure in southern Lebanon, and civilians, and to withdraw from the territories it occupies."
Reiterating his appeal to the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the foreign minister, Archbishop Richard Gallagher, he urged that these efforts be made "in all international arenas" to voice Lebanese demands, "first and foremost the obligation for Israel to implement the provisions of the framework agreement," signed last June 26 in Washington.
He argued that only a "complete withdrawal" by Israel from the occupied territories would allow reconstruction to begin and for displaced people to return. According to the head of state, quoted by the presidential press office, these measures should go hand in hand with "the extension of Lebanese state authority over its entire territory and the exclusive right to decide matters of war and peace," decisions officially taken last summer by the government of Nawaf Salam, which notably include the disarmament of Hezbollah.
During his meeting with the pope, President Aoun offered him a bust containing relics of the late Patriarch Elias Hoayek, who has just been beatified.
During his visit to Rome, Aoun is expected to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to discuss the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate expires at the end of 2026.
The visit comes amid renewed tensions in southern Lebanon in recent days, where the war between Israel and Hezbollah continues despite the framework agreement concluded to designate "pilot zones" where the Lebanese Army is to disarm Hezbollah.
However, progress on these "pilot zones" has stalled, with no advances made in the last round of direct talks at the beginning of August, also in Rome, between the two countries.
Beirut criticizes Israel for not accepting Lebanese conditions, which include a complete cease-fire and an end to destruction and excavation operations led by the Israeli army, and the two sides remain unable to agree on the composition of an international force to supervise Hezbollah's disarmament, according to information from L’Orient-Le Jour.
Despite the cease-fire, Israel continues to carry out deadly strikes in Lebanon and its forces have established what they call a "security zone" in the south of the country, a strip about 10 kilometers wide along the border.
A historic partner of Lebanon, the Holy See plays an active role both on the ground through its nunciature and in diplomatic circles.
