Pope Francis called for a cease-fire in the Middle East before Sunday 's Angelus prayer and said his meeting in June with the presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority was not a waste of time . `` I exhort to all the interested parties and to all of those who have political responsibility at the local and international level to not give up the prayer , nor any effort to cease any hostility and reach the desired peace for the good of all , '' the Pope said , according to a CNN translation . He spoke in Italian , from the window of his apartment above St. Peter 's Square . In June , Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres committed themselves to the quest for peace during a visit to the Vatican . It was the first time the Pope had hosted a prayer gathering of two leaders engaged in conflict . `` Someone could think that such a meeting took place in vain . Instead no , because prayer helps us in not letting evil win nor resigning ourselves to violence and hatred take over dialogue and reconciliation , '' the pontiff said Sunday . The Angelus is a traditional prayer given Sundays at noon following a short sermon from the Pope . Hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militants escalated this month after the killing of three Israeli teenagers and a Palestinian teen . Neither Hamas nor Israel appears to be backing down . Since Monday , scores of people in Gaza have been killed , the Gaza Health Ministry has said . Though some Israelis have been wounded , none has been killed by the rockets fired by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza . Israel drops leaflets warning Gaza residents to evacuate ahead of airstrikes . Fearing daughter 's Gaza border wedding .
The Pope gives a sermon , traditional prayer every Sunday at noon . He met with presidents of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in June . Violence in the region has escalated since then . Pope says prayer is a powerful weapon against evil .