The Bondi Beach attack in Australia left 15 people dead, spurring Pope Leo to reinforce his condemnation of antisemitism. The attack targeted a Jewish festival celebrating the first day of Hannukkah on December 14.
The Pope's condemnation came during a phone call with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, on December 17. Herzog had called Pope Leo to wish him a Merry Christmas.
The Pope also continued his appeals for peace while on the call, stressing to President Herzog the urgent necessity of supplying humanitarian aid to those innocents suffering from the war in Gaza.
The World Health Organization has indicated that the emergency situation remains increasingly critical in the Gaza Strip. As the conflict continues, so do the casualties.
The attack was carried out by a father and son—Sajid and Naveed Akram—who opened fire on the festival crowd in the late afternoon. Beyond those murdered, several others were injured as a result of the attack. Pope Leo described it in a telegram as an “act of senseless violence.”
During an audience he held with the creators of the various Nativity scenes that fill the Vatican this time of year, the Pope decried any form of antisemitic violence and prayed hatred would be rooted out from the hearts of all.
AT
