Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, spoke with both the president of Palestine and of Israel before cutting his trip short due to the conflict.
He encouraged them to find a path to lasting peace and called for money to be spent on building homes, hospitals and care centres rather than on military weapons.
He also met with different church leaders in Jerusalem to discuss building fraternity and strengthening the ongoing humanitarian work in the region.
“I must be honest. We have seen reasons to cry. We have seen reasons to smile. We see darkness; we see light; we see death; we see resurrection.”
People from all walks of life have expressed their solidarity with those living through the conflict in the Holy Land, calling for peace and prayer.
During his short visit, the cardinal celebrated Mass with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The ceremony marked 75 years since the pontifical missions began in Jerusalem.
Cardinal Dolan is the chairman of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.
It is a papal organisation founded to support eastern churches in their pastoral and humanitarian missions.