Pop superstar Madonna on Monday called on Pope Leo XIV to visit the Gaza Strip to alleviate the suffering of the children there amid war
In a post on the X social media platform, the singer, 66, wrote that she can no longer bear to see images of the suffering of the children in Gaza and asked the Pope to “please go to Gaza and bring your light to the children before it’s too late.”
“As a mother, I cannot bear to watch their suffering. The children of the world belong to everyone,” she wrote in her message to the pontiff. “You are the only one of us who cannot be denied entry. We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children. There is no time left. Please say you will go.”
Madonna added in a message to her 2.8 million followers that: “Politics Cannot affect Change. Only consciousness Can. Therefore I am Reaching out to a Man of God. Today is my 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."
"I am not pointing fingers, placing blame or taking sides. Everyone is suffering," she emphasized. "I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation. If you want to help Please Join me in donating to the following organizations," she wrote and tagged organizations including World Central Kitchen and Women Wage Peace.
Madonna, a longtime admirer of Israel who once adopted the Hebrew name Esther, has performed in the country several times, most recently at the 2019 Eurovision.
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In late October 2023, the singer was among entertainment industry leaders — alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Bradley Cooper, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake — who signed an open letter thanking then-U.S. president Joe Biden for his efforts in the release of two of the American hostages and two elderly Israeli hostages from Gaza, but calling for the release of all hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Families of hostages record Madonna's song Like A Prayer in November 2023 to bring attention to the plight of their loved ones
(Video: Or Gefen)
"Our relief is tempered by our overwhelming concern that 220 innocent people, including 30 children, remain captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death. They were taken by Hamas in the savage massacre of October 7, where over 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered - women raped, families burned alive, and infants beheaded," the letter read.
She has repeatedly urged the release of the hostages, including at the Golden Globes and her concerts. On Oct. 15, 2023, a week after the Hamas massacre, she voiced sympathy for the war’s victims during a show at London’s O2 Stadium.