Rabbi Warren Goldstein rebukes Pope Leo XIV over Israel war comments

6 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · Apr 29

On April 20, during Yom HaZikaron, Rabbi Goldstein condemned Pope Leo XIV’s Palm Sunday sermon amid the Iran war, accusing him of equating Israeli soldiers with terrorists.
Goldstein defended Israel’s military actions as just, criticizing the Pope for failing to distinguish between aggressors and defenders, and calling his remarks cruel and morally confused.
This rare public rebuke highlights tensions in Catholic-Jewish relations, which have generally improved over the past 60 years, and raises concerns about a possible shift in the Vatican’s stance on Israel.

Why is a top rabbi accusing the Pope of having 'blood on his hands' over a call for peace?

How can Israeli soldiers be 'holy' if the Pope says their hands are 'full of blood'?

Does the Vatican's rejection of theological Zionism make conflict with Israel's leadership inevitable?

When global religious leaders clash over war, whose guidance should the faithful follow?

Could this religious rift become a greater threat to Middle East peace than the war itself?

After 60 years of healing, is the Catholic-Jewish relationship now on the brink of collapse?