Pope Leo XIV on Monday called for prayers for the victims of the terrorist attack that targeted the Jewish community of Sydney, writing in a post on X that the killed and wounded should be “entrusted to the Lord.”
The pontiff called on his followers to pray “for all those who suffer due to war and violence,” and particularly the victims of Sunday’s massacre at the Chanukah party on Bondi Beach. “Enough with this antisemitic violence! Let us eliminate hatred from our hearts,” Leo tweeted.
At least 15 people were killed and over 40 were wounded in the terrorist shooting targeting a Chanukah event on Sydney’s popular Bondi Beach.
Those killed were between the ages of 10 and 87, according to the Australian public broadcaster ABC, which cited Chris Minns, the premier of the New South Wales region that includes Sydney.
The alleged shooters are a father and son, per ABC. Naveed Akram, 24, is under police guard in the hospital, while police shot and killed his father, Sajid Akram, 50, at the scene of the attack.
In an interview published in October, Pope Leo voiced “grave concern” over the situation in Gaza, but stopped short of accusing the Jewish state of committing genocide.
“There’s a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue,” said the pope.
The pontiff expressed solidarity with Gaza’s civilian population, saying Palestinians had “once again” been forced from their homes and were living in “unacceptable conditions” as a result of the fighting which Hamas initiated with its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
