Vatican Launches Probe After Swiss Guard Spits at Jewish Women During Papal Event

In yet another disheartening display of antisemitism that exposes the blind hatred fueling the anti-Israel bandwagon, the Vatican has opened an internal investigation into a Swiss Guard who allegedly hissed "the Jews" and spat toward two prominent Jewish women as they entered St. Peter’s Square for a papal audience on October 29, 2025, the very day commemorating the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the groundbreaking 1965 declaration that transformed Catholic-Jewish relations by rejecting centuries of blame against Jews. Israeli writer and theater director Michal Govrin, alongside Vivian Liska, director of the Institute for Jewish Studies in Antwerp, were part of an international Jewish delegation invited to hear Pope Leo XIV reaffirm the Church's commitment to fighting antisemitism and strengthening ties with the Jewish people. Instead, they encountered raw contempt from a uniformed guardian of the Holy See, a moment that starkly contradicts the pontiff's message of unity and exposes how deeply anti-Jewish venom has seeped even into sacred spaces amid the global surge in hate since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist massacre.

Govrin recounted the chilling encounter: as she and Liska approached the entrance, the guard "visibly hissed at us, ‘les juifs’, the Jews, and made a gesture of spitting in our direction with obvious contempt." The Vatican confirmed receipt of a formal complaint, with spokesman Matteo Bruni stating, "The Pontifical Swiss Guard has received a report regarding an incident at one of the entrances to the Vatican City State, in which elements interpreted as having antisemitic connotations were detected." Preliminary findings suggest a dispute over photography at the guard post escalated into the hateful act. Swiss Guard spokesman Corporal Eliah Cinotti affirmed a confidential inquiry is underway, emphasizing, "This is standard procedure because the service must always be performed with the utmost professionalism." Bruni added that the elite corps, founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II as the world's oldest standing military unit tasked with papal protection, "reaffirms its ongoing commitment to ensuring that its mission is always carried out with respect for the dignity of each person and the fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination."

The timing could not be more jarring. Pope Leo, who ascended in May 2025 after Pope Francis's controversial "genocide" remarks about Israel's defensive war against Hamas terrorists drew global backlash, has worked diligently to repair ties with Jerusalem. He has hosted hostage families, condemned antisemitism unequivocally, and vowed during the audience that "the Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights it," earning prolonged applause. Yet this incident lays bare a troubling reality: while leaders preach tolerance, individuals, even those sworn to uphold the Vatican's sanctity, can harbor the same bigotry that drives campus mobs, street assaults, and online vitriol against Jews worldwide. With anti-Semitic incidents skyrocketing 400% since October 7, 2023, per FBI data, and Jewish communities from New York to Paris facing daily threats, such acts from a Swiss Guard, symbol of discipline and loyalty, reveal how the anti-Israel frenzy, often rooted in ignorance of Hamas's barbarity, morphs into outright Jew-hatred. Israel, battling terrorists who use civilians as shields while the world scapegoats the Jewish state, deserves allies who match words with deeds. The Vatican promises severe consequences if misconduct is proven, but for Govrin, Liska, and Jews everywhere, this spit is a stain on progress, a reminder that vigilance against antisemitism must be unceasing, even within hallowed walls.