Vatican investigates Swiss Guard accused of antisemitic insult toward Israeli author Michal Govrin during Pope Leo XIV’s interfaith gathering.
A solemn Vatican ceremony meant to celebrate Jewish–Catholic reconciliation has been marred by an alleged antisemitic incident involving a member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, prompting the Holy See to launch an internal investigation.
According to the Austrian Catholic outlet Kathpress, Israeli writer and theater director Michal Govrin—the daughter of Holocaust survivors—was entering St. Peter’s Square on October 29 with Professor Vivian Liska, head of the Institute of Jewish Studies in Antwerp, when the uniformed guard allegedly hissed “les juifs” (“the Jews”) at them and made a spitting gesture.
Govrin described being “in complete shock,” especially given that the event marked the 60th anniversary of Nostra aetate, the 1965 declaration that transformed the Vatican’s relations with non-Christian faiths and explicitly repudiated antisemitism. “It was a painful irony,” she said. “Moments later, we were to hear the Pope speak against antisemitism — yet we had just experienced it firsthand.”
Swiss Guard spokesperson Cpl. Eliah Cinotti confirmed that the guard in question has been placed under internal review pending the results of an inquiry. “The Swiss Guard completely distances itself from any form of antisemitism,” Cinotti stated, adding that the investigation seeks to determine whether the exchange was a misunderstanding or misconduct.
The Vatican press office acknowledged that a preliminary internal reconstruction of events “identified elements that could be interpreted as having antisemitic connotations.” Church officials emphasized that Pope Leo XIV remains steadfast in his message of fraternity, condemning antisemitism “in all its forms and from any source.”
The incident has drawn deep concern from interfaith leaders and Jewish organizations, who view it as a stark reminder that antisemitism persists even in institutions committed to moral renewal. Israel’s Ambassador to the Holy See privately expressed “sorrow and alarm,” noting that symbolic acts of hate, however isolated, undermine decades of bridge-building between Catholics and Jews.
For Govrin, the emotional impact was personal and profound. “As the daughter of Holocaust survivors,” she said, “to experience such disdain in the very heart of the Vatican—at a ceremony meant to affirm brotherhood—was devastating.”
The Pontifical Swiss Guard, renowned for its Renaissance-era uniforms and elite discipline, has served as the papal security force since 1506. But this rare scandal has placed the corps under global scrutiny, with Church investigators under pressure to act decisively to uphold the Vatican’s moral integrity.
The Holy See has not specified when the review will conclude, but insiders say the outcome will be closely watched as a test of the Vatican’s commitment to its own words: that antisemitism has no place within the Church—or anywhere in the world.
