Australian Bishops Urge Deeper Inquiry Into Antisemitism After Bondi Attack
Catholic leaders in Australia are calling for a broader national reckoning with antisemitism following the deadly terrorist attack at Bondi Beach that shocked the country in December. The president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, has said that while the federal government’s announced security review is necessary, it does not go far enough in addressing the deeper cultural and institutional roots of antisemitism. His appeal comes amid ongoing grief and unease after the killing of 16 people during a Hanukkah celebration, an attack that authorities have formally classified as terrorism.
In a statement issued at the start of the new year, the archbishop acknowledged the value of the Richardson Review, which will examine the performance of law enforcement and intelligence agencies in preventing such attacks. However, he argued that antisemitism cannot be confronted solely through security mechanisms. According to Costelloe, Australia needs a wider national inquiry with sufficient authority and resources to examine how antisemitic attitudes may persist within political, academic, media, cultural, and even religious institutions. Without such scrutiny, he warned, prejudice risks remaining hidden and unchallenged, allowing hostility toward Jewish communities to continue beneath the surface of public life.
The call follows the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where two Islamist gunmen opened fire during a Jewish religious celebration. Among those killed were children, religious leaders, and a Holocaust survivor, deepening the trauma felt across the country. Investigators later confirmed that the attackers were inspired by Islamic State ideology and had traveled abroad shortly before the assault. The incident prompted national mourning and renewed debate about extremism, community safety, and the protection of religious minorities in Australia.
Catholic leaders have been among the most vocal religious figures condemning the violence. Archbishop Anthony Fisher described antisemitism as a growing and dangerous presence in Australian society and said attacks on Jews strike at the moral fabric of the nation itself. He pledged that Catholic communities would intensify efforts through education and preaching to confront prejudice. Pope Leo XIV also condemned the attack, offering prayers for the victims and calling for an end to antisemitic violence. Together, these responses reflect a broader concern within the Church that safeguarding Jewish communities is inseparable from defending human dignity and social cohesion in Australia.
