At least 15 people were killed in an attack during a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi beach on Dec. 14
After two gunmen targeted Jewish beachgoers at an event celebrating the first day of Hanukkah in a terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, Pope Leo XIV said he is “deeply saddened” by the attack he called “horrific.”
In a Dec. 15 telegram signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope said he is praying for those recovering and those grieving “the loss of a loved one,” hoping that “those tempted to violence will undergo conversion and seek the path of peace and solidarity.”
“Enough with these forms of antisemitic violence!” Pope Leo said earlier on Dec. 15, speaking with the groups that donated this year’s Vatican Christmas tree and Nativity scene. “We must eliminate hatred from our hearts,” he highlighted.
In a Dec. 15 statement, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney called for an end to an “atmosphere of antisemitism” in Australia.
“Any attack on individual Jews is an attack on the whole Jewish community and an affront to the Australian way of life,” Archbishop Fisher said as he called for an unequivocal condemnation of the attack and swift justice for the victims.
He also shared that he personally has Jewish heritage from his great-grandmother, and that as Christians, “an attack on the Jews is an attack on all of us.”
“We all share in profound grief and righteous anger following last night’s terrorist attack on Bondi Beach,” the archbishop said.
“That a celebration of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah could end in at least 16 dead, including a young child, and many more injured, horrifies ordinary Australians.
“The brazen and callous disregard for human life, and the hatred of some people toward all Jews, is an unspeakable evil that must be repudiated by every Australian.”
U.S. bishops also reacted to the attack.
Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of St. Louis, a member of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, issued a statement on social media. “In light of the recent shooting that took place in Australia during the first day of Hanukkah, I want to express my solidarity with the Jewish community, and pray for those directly affected by this horrific attack. As people of faith and good will, we must speak against hateful and antisemitic acts, and recognize that such acts of violence must have no place in our hearts and communities. May our Jewish brothers and sisters in St. Louis and abroad know that they are not alone and that we stand together with them.”
The Catholic community of the Archdiocese of New York “prayed this morning at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for our Jewish neighbors and friends, who are suffering again after that terrible diabolical atrocity in Australia,” Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said Dec. 14
“It gives us cause to intensify our advocacy for the defense of our Jewish friends and neighbors, and also brings to mind the message of Hanukkah and Christmas that light will always conquer darkness,” the cardinal stressed.
At a press conference in Sydney Dec. 14, just hours after the shooting, New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told journalists that 12 people were dead, including one of the gunmen, but later the death toll rose to 15, and The Guardian reported a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and two Holocaust survivors were among victims.
The second gunman, police confirmed, was in custody and in critical condition.
According to authorities, over 40 people were wounded and taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital.
“What should have been a night of peace and joy, celebrated in that community with families and supporters, has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack,” Minns said.
“Our heart bleeds for Australia’s Jewish community tonight. I can only imagine the pain that they’re feeling right now to see their loved ones killed as they celebrate this ancient holiday,” he added.
The attack occurred in the early evening as hundreds were gathered for a Hanukkah celebration at Archer Park, a grassy area in Bondi Beach. A video circulating online showed a beachgoer tackling and disarming one of the gunmen while the other gunman fired from a nearby bridge.
In an address following the shooting, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the attack was “an act of evil antisemitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation” and that an “attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
“Every Australian tonight will be, like me, devastated by this attack on our way of life. There is no place for this hate, violence, and terrorism in our nation,” Albanese said.
“Let me be clear: We will eradicate it. Amidst this vile act of violence and hate will emerge a moment of national unity where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish faith,” he added.
Archbishop Fisher also condemned a rise in antisemitism over the past two years. “(It has) festered, leading to intimidation, division, and the normalization of incendiary language,” he said.
“Opposite my own cathedral in Hyde Park there have been weekly demonstrations where inflammatory messages have been regularly articulated which could only have ‘turned up the temperature’ and perhaps contributed to radicalization. This must stop.”
On behalf of Sydney’s Catholic community, the archbishop extended condolences to all those affected and said the archdiocese would redouble its efforts to combat antisemitism through education and preaching.
