Vatican declines to join Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace,’ calls for UN leadership
The Vatican will not join President Donald Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace, its top diplomatic official said Tuesday, signaling reluctance from the Holy See to take part in the post-war initiative.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Holy See “will not participate in the Board of Peace because of its particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States,” the Vatican’s official news outlet reported.
The Board of Peace, which was chartered in January and includes nearly 20 countries, is tasked with managing recovery efforts in the Gaza Strip after the Israel-Hamas war.
While responding to questions about Italy declining to join the board, Parolin said “there are points that leave us somewhat perplexed,” adding that “there are some critical points that would need to find explanations.”
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“The important thing is that an attempt is being made to provide a response,” he said. “However, for us there are certain critical issues that should be resolved.”
Parolin continued, “One concern is that, at the international level it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted.”
Pope Leo, the first U.S. pope, received an invitation to join the peace board in January.
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Leaders from 17 countries participated in the initial charter signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, in late January, including presidents and other senior government officials from Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central and Southeast Asia.
Israel formally joined the board last week ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with Trump at the White House.
Several other countries were also invited by the White House, including Russia, Belarus, France, Germany, Vietnam, Finland, Ukraine, Ireland, Greece and China.
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Poland and Italy on Wednesday said they would not join.
Trump announced Sunday that board members have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Gaza.
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The president said the funding would be formally pledged during a meeting Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Pastor accused of ‘inciting religious hatred’ with UK street sermon, legal advocacy group says
A Christian pastor arrested in Bristol, England, in November on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” after delivering a street sermon is still awaiting a decision on whether he will face criminal charges, according to a legal advocacy group supporting him.
Pastor Dia Moodley, 58, was detained for eight hours and released on bail conditions that temporarily barred him from entering the city during the Christmas period.
ADF UK, the British arm of the faith-based legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, is representing Moodley.
The group advocates for religious freedom and free speech rights and argues that the pastor’s case reflects what it describes as a broader pattern of police action that risks criminalizing lawful religious expression.
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Although the initial bail restrictions were later dropped, police visited Moodley again in January and invited him to attend a voluntary interview under caution as they continued to investigate the November incident.
The case marks the second time he has been arrested over his street preaching, ADF UK said, and follows previous disputes with police over restrictions placed on his public comments about other religions.
Avon and Somerset Police told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that they could neither confirm nor deny the identity of anyone arrested but, based on the date and location provided, issued the following statement:
“A 58-year-old man was arrested at about 2.30pm on Saturday 22 November in Broadmead, Bristol, on suspicion of assault by beating and of a racially/religiously aggravated public order offence,” police said. “He was later released on police bail until the end of December, with a condition not to attend areas of Bristol city centre including Broadmead. These conditions however were ultimately lifted by a supervisory officer in mid-December following representations from the arrested man.”
The agency said the man is no longer on bail after being released under investigation in early January, adding that a counter-allegation has been recorded and inquiries are ongoing. The statement did not provide further details about the alleged assault.
The public order offense referenced by police falls under the Public Order Act 1986.
It’s defined by the government under Section 29B as, “A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred [or hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation].”
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Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF International, said Pastor Dia’s arrest for “peacefully commenting on Islam and transgender ideology” shows police are using public order legislation to impose “de facto blasphemy laws” in the U.K.
“This is far from an isolated incident,” Igunnubole said. “It is part of a clear pattern of behavior from Avon and Somerset Police, who for years have targeted Pastor Dia for his peaceful expression in the public square and have failed in their duty to investigate serious crimes committed against him by those who objected to his speech.”
Catholics, conservatives cheer ouster of ex-Miss California from WH religious panel after panel controversy
The Trump administration swiftly removed Carrie Prejen Boller, a former Miss California winner, from a White House religious council amid accusations she worked to “hijack” a hearing on antisemitism, earning applause from religious leaders and conservatives.
“Carrie Prejean was thrown off the Religious Liberty Commission, and thank God,” a former Trump White House official told Fox News Digital in reaction to the ouster. “These commissions exist to advance the President’s agenda, not to serve as a personal Jew-hating platform.”
Prejean Boller was ousted from the White House Religious Liberty Commission after she worked to “hijack a hearing” held Monday regarding antisemitism in the U.S. to promote her “own personal and political agenda on any issue,” according to chair of the commission, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Prejean Boller is the 2009 Miss California USA winner who was stripped of her crown over allegations of breaching contract. She gained nationwide attention in 2009 for speaking out against legalizing gay marriage from the pageant’s stage.
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Trump owned the Miss Universe Organization at the time and defended Prejean Boller, then Carrie Prejean.
Trump established the religious liberty commission in May via an executive order directing the Department of Justice to provide support to the newly formed body focused on upholding “Federal laws that protect all citizens’ full participation in a pluralistic democracy, and protect the free exercise of religion.”
The commission held a hearing Monday at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., on combating antisemitism and upholding religious freedom, where Prejean Boller wore a Palestinian flag pin and got into tense exchanges.
Prejean Boller converted to Catholicism from evangelical Christianity in April and invoked her Catholic faith in comments rejecting Zionism during the hearing.
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“I am a Catholic, and Catholics don’t embrace Zionism,” she said.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue swiftly called for her ouster in an opinion piece published on his organization’s website, underscoring that she did not represent Catholics in her remarks.
“Prejean Boller is a former Miss California and a convert to Catholicism,” he wrote Wednesday. “She does not run a Catholic organization, has no Catholic credentials as an author or instructor, and indeed represents no one but herself. For her to say, without qualification, that ‘Catholics do not embrace Zionism,’ is presumptuous and arrogant.”
“Zionism is a movement that promotes Jewish self-determination in a homeland,” he said. “There are millions of Catholics like myself who, even if they do not identify themselves as Zionists, recognize the Jewish state of Israel. Prejean Boller apparently does not—she is more comfortable showing up at the Religious Liberty Commission wearing a Palestinian flag pin. So telling.”
Shawn Carney, president and CEO of 40 Days for Life pro-life group, added in comment to Fox Digital that her “claim that Catholics are against Jews is absurd.”
“This division is a recent fad and an online invention,” Carney said. “For centuries, Catholics have understood that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic kingdom and that our faith comes from the Jews. Catholic teaching holds that the Church is the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Covenant. To suddenly claim that Catholics are against Jews is absurd — it is a modern, internet-based error.”
He added that Trump has a very strong track record of hiring and appointing Catholics to his administration, noting “no president in modern history has done more to protect religious liberty for both Catholics and Jews.”
At one point, Prejean Boller got into a heated exchange with Shabbos Kestenbaum, a former Harvard student who sued the university over its response to antisemitism.
“Are you willing to condemn what Israel has done in Gaza?” Prejean Boller asked Kestenbaum during the hearing. “You won’t condemn that? Just on the record.”
She also defended Candace Owens when pressed by Babylon Bee founder and CEO Seth Dillon if the commentator had ever made antisemitic remarks.
“Do you think anything Candace has said is antisemitic?” he asked her, after referring to Owens as one of the “most famous antisemites” in the current political landscape.
“No, I don’t,” Prejean Boller replied.
The former Trump White House official continued in comments to Fox Digital that backing Israel has long been a priority for President Donald Trump.
“President Donald Trump has been clear for decades that he stands proudly with the Jewish people and with America’s closest ally, Israel,” the former official said. “Supporting Israel and standing with Jewish Americans is not just morally right, it is America First.”
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“President Trump delivered historic victories for the Jewish people. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. Embassy there. He recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He brokered the Abraham Accords and reshaped the Middle East. He kept his promise to bring every last hostage home and made clear that antisemitism at home will be confronted head on, including holding universities accountable when Jewish students are targeted.”
Conservatives and others on social media celebrated her ouster while condemning her remarks at the hearing.
“The only one who brought up Zionism at the event was… Carrie Prejean Boller,” account Bonchie posted. “Classic grifter play happening here. Cause a scene of her own making, claim to be the victim, profit. A story as old as time.”
“Whatever you think of the rest of Carrie Prejean Boller’s views, wearing a Palestinian flag to a hearing on religious liberty is disgraceful,” Jim Hanson, president of WorldStrat information warfare firm and chief editor of the Middle East Forum, posted.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said that while he does not personally know Prejean Boller, what he saw of her actions was “just sad.”
“There are 57 Muslim countries on Earth; this poor thing has been deluded into thinking that the fact that Israel exists — in the promised land given to the Jewish people thousands of years ago by Jehovah — is somehow the source of all her troubles.” he wrote. “And no, Catholics don’t hate Israel. As Charlie Kirk said repeatedly, antisemitism is a brain rot, and someone has been pouring this poison into her head.”
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Patrick said he personally made the decision to remove her, while Prejean Boller responded on X that only the president could order her removal.
“You did not appoint me to the Commission, and you lack authority to remove me from it,” Prejean Boller wrote on X in response to Patrick. “This is a gross overstepping of your role and leads me to believe you are acting in alignment with a Zionist political framework that hijacked the hearing, rather than in defense of religious liberty.”
Cruz shot back on X: “Let’s be clear: it was President Trump who fired her.”
The former Miss California has continued to stick by her remarks, saying she “will never bend the knee to the state of Israel. Ever.”
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“Christians have been manipulated into believing that God blesses bombing, starvation, and mass killing,” Prejean posted to X. “That is the opposite of Christ, who came to stand with the suffering and confront power. I reject that lie completely. I am not owned by money, donors, or access. I belong to Christ alone who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I would rather die than bend the knee to Israel.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for additional comment on the matter Thursday, and attempted to reach Prejean Boller Friday for comment.
Iran regime accused of killing 19 Christians in anti-regime protests as persecution continues: watchdog
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s atrocities against demonstrators opposed to the regime has reportedly resulted in security forces killing at least 19 Iranian Christians, according to Article 18, an organization that promotes religious freedom in Iran.
Article 18 reported on Feb. 9 that “The total number of Christians confirmed to have been killed during the protests is at least 19, including members of Iran’s recognized (Armenians and Assyrians) and unrecognized (converts) communities.”
According to the Article 18 statement, the Islamic Republic’s “brutal response to last month’s mass demonstrations” resulted in the security forces murdering Iranian Christians Nader Mohammadi, 35, and Zahra Arjomandi, 51, who were both shot dead on Jan. 8 in separate protests 1,000 miles apart.
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Mohammadi was the father of three young children, and was killed in Babol in northern Iran. Arjomandi, who was a mother of two children, died in her son’s arms on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm, in southern Iran, noted Article 18.
The Iranian Christian website Mohabat News stated that regime security forces refused to release Arjomandi’s body for six days. Mohabat reported that her body was only released for burial under “strict security measures”, which included a media blackout and prohibiting a memorial service.
Mansour Borji, the executive director for Article 18, told Fox News Digital that, “Today, Christians, like millions of other Iranians, seek the freedom and justice that they have been denied for nearly five decades, and they know well that this comes at a price. Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience.”
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He continued, “Our organization considers the Islamic Republic’s massacre of all peaceful protesters a crime against humanity that should not go unpunished. There must be an end to the impunity that, for far too long, has enabled this regime to commit crimes like at home and abroad. Branding peaceful protesters as ‘terrorists,’ and Christians that are persecuted every year as ‘Zionist mercenaries,’ is nothing but scapegoating.”
He warned that “The Islamic Republic’s regime has, since its inception, demonstrated all traits of a totalitarian state. Most Iranians have now come to realize that their fundamental rights have been taken away from them, including the freedom to choose one’s own religion or belief, political self-determination and even their lifestyle choices. Christians were some of the earliest to experience this, when an Anglican priest and convert to Christianity, Rev. Arastoo Sayyah, was killed in his church office less than 200 hours after the 1979 revolution.”
A comprehensive 2025 report titled, “The Tip of the Iceberg” about the persecution of Iranian Christians was released by Article 18 in collaboration with Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Middle East Concern.
According to the “The Tip of the Iceberg” report, Mohammad Nasirpour, the deputy prosecutor of Tehran and head of the 33rd District Prosecutor’s office, stated in his indictment against four Iranian Christians on June 2022: “Armenian and Assyrian Christians in the Protestant denomination, with their evangelical nature and mission to Christianize Iran, are perceived as a security threat to the Islamic Revolution, aimed at undermining the Islamic foundation of the Islamic Republic. It could be said that Persian-speaking evangelical movements are supported by fundamentalist evangelical Christians and Zionists.”
According to a Feb. 10 report on the website of Christianity Today, Iranian Christians want President Trump to intervene to stop the Ayatollah’s regime from continuing with its massacre of Iranians.
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“That’s probably one of the most frustrating aspects of the whole situation right now,” said Shahrokh Afshar, founder of Fellowship of Iranian Christians. “Everyone was hoping he would do something,” Afshar told the outlet after the Iranian authorities killed thousands of protesters in January, according to some estimates.
Fox News Digital has reported over the decades on the Islamic Republic’s high-intensity persecution of Iranian Christians in the wake of the growing popularity of Christianity in the Muslim-majority country. Iran’s regime targets diverse groups of Christians, including Evangelicals and Catholics. In 2017, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) arrested two Christians – a mother and her son – as part of a brutal crackdown on Catholicism in the country’s West Azerbaijan Province.
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The family’s bibles and literature on Christian theology were also seized during the raid.
The United States State Department has designated Iran as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC)” because the Islamic regime has “engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom” with respect to violations of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
The Iranian regime -controlled statistical center of Iran claims there are 117,700 Christians of recognized denominations as of the 2016 census, according to the most recent U.S. State Department report on the plight of Iranian Christians.
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However, the State Department noted that, “The Christian advocacy NGO Article 18 estimates there are 500,000 to 800,000 Christians in the country, while the Christian advocacy NGO Open Doors International estimates the number is 1.24 million. Christian NGOs report many Christians are converts from Islam or other recognized faiths.” The population of Iran is roughly 92 million.
Why Bad Bunny’s ‘God Bless America’ moment at the Super Bowl sparked controversy
Bad Bunny could be heard speaking English briefly during his Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night, shouting, “God bless America.” But his usage of the term — heard for decades as the ultimate patriotic American phrase — stirred debate over its context.
The Grammy Award-winning artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, invoked the traditionally U.S.-centric phrase toward the end of his performance.
He then named countries across North, Central and South America — including Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico, as well as the United States and Canada — before ending the show by spiking a football that read, “Together, we are America.”
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The singer’s use of the phrase, “God Bless America,” and performance called on a larger definition of what “America” means and was widely interpreted as a reframe — drawing criticism and applause from media, politicians and others. The show also featured people waving the flags of various countries, including the U.S.
“And also, this is America. Not the United Nations. If you legally immigrate here from another Nation, fine. You’re welcome here,” Texas State Rep. Jeff Leach wrote on X. “But when you become a citizen, you stop flying your native flag, and you fly the American flag. What in God’s name is the NFL thinking?!?!”
“One thing non-Hispanics may not fully grasp is that when Bad Bunny said ‘God bless America’ and listed dozens of countries, he was invoking a very old trope of the Latin American left, which insists Americans arrogantly claimed the name of two continents for ourselves,” one X user noted.
The progressive Headquarters X account, formerly home of the pro-Kamala Harris account KamalaHQ, praised the moment as sending a “message” of love.
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The usage of the phrase and his listing of countries from both continents also drew extensive media discussion and analysis.
“He then, however, referenced all the countries in the Americas, not just the United States. It was a pointed message of unity and togetherness,” Mashable wrote.
Forbes contributor Hannah Abraham said the song, “God Bless America,” was an American pastime for sporting events, but Bad Bunny’s interpretation “reimagined” America.
“There’s a long tradition of ‘God Bless America’ being performed at sporting events, particularly the Super Bowl. It’s typically sung in English by artists representing traditional American values and aesthetics,” Abraham wrote. “Bad Bunny’s version — a spoken phrase rather than the song fully sung, delivered in English after an hour of Spanish, followed immediately by a celebration of Latin nations before circling back to ‘USA’ — reimagined what blessing America can look like.”
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Bad Bunny’s use of the phrase followed months of debate surrounding his relationship with U.S. politics.
Only months before the Super Bowl, during a rendition of “God Bless America,” at a New York Yankees game, Bad Bunny ignited controversy for his refusal to stand. When accepting his 2026 Grammy, he opened by declaring, “Before I say thanks to God, I gotta say, ICE out. We’re not savages. We’re not animals. We’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans… The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.” The final phrase also appeared on the jumbotron during his halftime show.
Bad Bunny also declined to schedule U.S. tour dates for his 2025-26 concert run out of fear of ICE immigration raids at his shows.
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When written by Irving Berlin in 1918, the song was not necessarily intended to be a protest song or cultural moment, but to be something of a patriotic prayer to express gratitude and unity during trying times.
In contrast, Media Research Center News analyst Jorge Bonilla wrote in a Fox News op-ed, “His shout of ‘God Bless America!’ really meant ‘América,’ as in the Americas, not the United States. A grand finale that was stilted, confusing, and subtly but passively-aggressively anti-American.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Bad Bunny’s representatives for comment.
‘God is always in charge’: Cardinal Timothy Dolan reflects on his journey as he leaves archbishop role
After serving nearly 17 years as the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan says he is filled with “gratitude” as he moves on to his next chapter in life.
“Is there some sadness? Yeah, because I love being an archbishop,” Dolan told “Fox & Friends.” “So, I have to be honest about that. There’s excitement. First of all, I got gratitude after 17 happy years. … Secondly, I really love my successor. He is extraordinarily impressive.”
Dolan assured the faithful he is “always a priest” and looks forward to celebrating more Masses, baptisms and weddings in the future.
Reflecting on his service through the years, the cardinal said God is always “in charge.” While you may not know where you are going, when you look back on your past, you can see God’s faithfulness, Dolan mused.
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“When we look to the past, we see things in the rearview mirror. That’s where we detect the Lord‘s presence and activity. Sometimes, we can’t see it in front of us,” he explained. “It always dawns on me that history, think of that word, history is ‘His story.’ His story! He’s in charge. Sometimes we’re wondering how it’s going to work out, but He always triumphs. He is always victorious. He is the King. He is the Lord, and thank God, we got Him.”
Dolan said he learned his style of preaching by embracing his own personality and having faith in the Lord’s calling on his life.
“The Italians have a great expression: You got to make gnocchi with the dough you got,” he said. “God gives you the dough. What’s going to work? So, you don’t try to hide yourself. You try to be yourself — there’s a beautiful act of faith. God never calls us to do something without giving us the grace to do it, right? So, that gives you a lot of peace. That gives you a lot of joy.”
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The religious leader offered his love and prayers to the family of Savannah Guthrie while authorities search for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
“I called yesterday. I didn’t get through, but I left a message saying, ‘Savannah, I’m asking the Good Shepherd to find this lost sheep.’ She’s a great woman,” he said. “We go way back. She was with me the first time, when I was made a cardinal, in 2012. So, I love her.”
Leaked documents expose Khamenei’s secret deadly blueprint for crushing Iran protests
Leaked documents from the Iranian regime reveal a coordinated plan by its security apparatus, approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to violently suppress nationwide protests using force, surveillance and internet shutdowns.
Excerpts of the documents, reviewed by Fox News Digital, show that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council developed the strategy after the 2019 nationwide protests that came amid fuel price hikes and economic collapse.
At a National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) press briefing Tuesday covering the regime’s pre-planned orders behind the protests and mass killings, Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office, said the documents “were obtained from within the regime” and later cited The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) as having gained access to them.
“This Directive by the National Security Council was obtained by the network in Iran of the MEK, which has access to sources within the regime,” he confirmed to Fox News Digital.
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“These documents show the regime’s efforts to prevent the resurgence of the uprising and, if it occurred, to suppress it,” Jafarzadeh added before stating that there are “clear operational plans allocated to the IRGC to use lethal force to kill as many people as needed to stay in power.”
The first document, classified “top secret,” was issued Mar. 3, 2021, with the regime codifying four escalating law enforcement and security conditions. The regime defined how unrest would be handled and which authorities would be in command at each stage.
Initial law enforcement and non-armed security situations placed command authority with Iran’s national police force, with support from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Intelligence Ministry (VAJA).
In the most severe category, designated an “armed security situation,” full command authority rapidly shifted to the IRGC.
“For now, this compilation should be communicated for two years,” Khamenei wrote before ordering the blueprint implemented nationwide.
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The secret guidelines became the blueprint for crushing the January 2026 protests, which erupted amid soaring inflation, currency collapse and anger toward clerical rule.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), at least 6,854 people have been killed during the protests, with 11,280 cases under investigation.
Internal regime assessments cited in other leaked files describe three phases of the 2026 uprising: an initial law enforcement phase, followed by a non-armed security phase and finally an armed security situation beginning Jan. 8 when authority shifted fully to the IRGC that played the command role and carried out armed killings.
The documents specify that during armed security situations, the IRGC operated with support from other security bodies, while Iran’s Ministry of Communications was ordered to impose internet restrictions, including full shutdowns.
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A second classified document, compiled in 2024 by the IRGC’s Sarallah Headquarters, reveals how far the regime went to prepare for dissent.
The 129-page “Comprehensive Security Plan of Tehran” details extensive surveillance and repression measures, identifying members of the opposition MEK and family members of executed dissidents as “level number one” enemies subject to monitoring and control.
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“It also shows how far the regime is prepared to go to kill as many people as needed, which they did in January 2026. However, these killings further convinced the people that there is only one way to end the killings, and that is to overthrow the regime,” Jafarzadeh added.
“There are more people, especially young ones, who have joined the ranks of the organized force to confront the IRGC and liberate the nation,” he said.
Pope Leo calls for world free from persecution while honoring Holocaust victims
Pope Leo made an appeal for a world free from antisemitism, prejudice, oppression and persecution Wednesday before linking the message to International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was observed the day before.
Speaking at the conclusion of his weekly audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the pope recalled the Jan. 27 commemoration honoring the millions of Jews and others murdered.
Pope Leo called it an “annual occasion of painful remembrance” and urged the international community to remain vigilant so that “the horror of genocide may never again be inflicted upon any people” and so that societies rooted in “mutual respect and the common good” can be built.
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“I ask the Almighty for the gift of a world no longer marked by antisemitism, nor by prejudice, oppression and persecution against any human being,” the pope said.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.
The Holocaust resulted in the systematic murder of 6 million Jews and millions of others during World War II.
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On Jan. 27, as he left his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Leo also spoke to reporters.
When asked about rising tensions in the Middle East and the deployment of a U.S. aircraft carrier to the region amid protests and killings in Iran at the hands of its regime, Leo emphasized the need “to pray hard for peace.”
“We little ones can raise our voices and always seek dialogue rather than violence to resolve problems, especially on this day that commemorates the Shoah,” he added.
In a post on X marking the Holocaust memorial, Pope Leo reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to the principles outlined in Nostra Aetate, the Second Vatican Council’s declaration rejecting all forms of antisemitism.
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He stressed that the church “rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality or religion” and encouraged dialogue rather than violence as a means toward solving conflicts.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Vatican for comment.