https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-874619

Pope Leo XIV must denounce Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes for sinful antisemitism - opinion

Pope Leo XIV must state clearly and publicly – by name – that Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens do not represent Catholic teaching or Catholic values and that their antisemitism is sinful and dangerous.

NOVEMBER 22, 2025 02:16

POPE LEO XIV celebrates Mass for Jubilee of the Poor at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Nov. 16, 2025.

Across the United States, antisemitism is not merely rising – it is metastasizing. It has taken on new forms, new platforms, and new proponents who weaponize modern media to amplify an ancient hatred.

Among the most toxic of these figures are Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens, two of the most influential and hostile anti-Jewish voices in America today. And there is an uncomfortable and undeniable fact that demands a response from the Vatican: both are fervent Catholics who routinely invoke their faith while also spewing bile and hate.

Fuentes, a self-styled “America First” agitator, has built a large online following by preaching rage, conspiracy theories, and unapologetic Jew-hatred. He has praised Adolf Hitler, admired Joseph Stalin, minimized the Holocaust, revived medieval slanders, and cast Jews as enemies of America and Christianity.

He calls for a “Christian nationalist” America that excludes Jews altogether. And Fuentes revels in extremist rhetoric while positioning himself as a defender of Catholic teachings and tradition.

Owens, meanwhile, peddles in the same toxins. Over the years, she has repeatedly used her social media platform to spread virulent antisemitic tropes about Jewish influence and power. According to the Anti-Defamation League, she has claimed that Judaism is a “pedophile-centric religion that believes in demons... and child sacrifice.”

Candace Owens speaks during a right-wing gathering known as America Fest, an event organised by Turning Point USA, in Phoenix, Arizona, December 2022; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/JIM URQUHART)

Candace Owens speaks during a right-wing gathering known as America Fest, an event organised by Turning Point USA, in Phoenix, Arizona, December 2022; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS/JIM URQUHART)

She has also minimized the Holocaust and blamed Israel for the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. Like Fuentes, she proudly identifies as Catholic since her conversion last year. This matters because when two of the most visible anti-Jewish voices in American life both assert and regularly affirm their Catholic identity, it risks confusing millions of people.

But there is a deeper reason the Vatican must speak now, one that extends far beyond Fuentes and Owens themselves. After all, for 1,900 years the Catholic Church was one of the principal architects, promoters, and purveyors of antisemitism in the Western world.

From Church fathers who accused Jews of deicide, to medieval blood libels, to forced conversions, ghettoization, the Inquisition, and centuries of discriminatory laws, Christian Europe’s hostility toward Jews was too often shaped, legitimized, or reinforced by Church teachings and clerical authority. Antisemitism did not emerge in a vacuum; the Church played a key role in its development.

It was not until the mid-20th century, after the horrors of the Holocaust laid bare where centuries of theological hostility could lead, that the Church undertook a fundamental re-examination of its relationship with the Jewish people.

THE RESULT was a declaration by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 known as Nostra Aetate, which stated that the Church “deplores all hatreds, persecutions, and displays of antisemitism directed against the Jews at any time or from any source.”

At any time or from any source. No exceptions. No qualifiers.

In effect, the Vatican pledged to uproot antisemitism wherever it appeared, especially within its own flock. But that pledge is now being tested.

The Vatican must quash Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens antisemitism

Fuentes and Owens represent a direct and dangerous challenge to Vatican II. They undermine decades of attempts at reconciliation between Catholics and Jews. And they prey on young Catholics, offering them a vision that fuses religious identity with outright bigotry.

And the longer the Vatican remains silent, the more their poison spreads.

Just recently, Pope Leo XIV denounced antisemitism in general terms. On October 29, he said that his predecessors “have condemned antisemitism with clear words,” adding that “I, too, confirm that the Church does not tolerate antisemitism and fights against it.” Those statements were important and welcome.

But generalities no longer suffice. Silence in the face of Fuentes and Owens risks allowing their message to proliferate under the guise of Catholic authenticity. This is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of moral clarity and historical accountability.

Precisely because of its past, the Church bears a special responsibility. For centuries, Christian rhetoric – sanctioned or tolerated – fueled the very prejudices that would later erupt in unspeakable tragedy. Vatican II was meant not only to heal wounds but also to prevent new ones.

That undertaking must now be honored.

Pope Leo XIV does not need to engage in the culture wars or American political debates. But he does need to state clearly and publicly – by name – that Nick Fuentes and Candace Owens do not represent Catholic teaching or Catholic values and that their antisemitism is sinful and dangerous.

History teaches that antisemitism rarely begins with violence. It begins with words, with mockery, conspiracy theories, demonization, and dehumanization. With charismatic figures who claim to speak for one faith or another. With confusion among the young. And with silence among their elders.

That is why the pope must respond now. Fuentes and Owens are attempting to drag the Vatican back into the very shadows from which it has spent decades emerging. They must not be allowed to succeed. The Catholic Church now faces a moment of truth. The world is watching. American Jews are concerned. And millions of American Catholics are in need of some clarity.

So I want to pose a simple and straightforward question to Pope Leo XIV: In light of the danger posed by Fuentes and Owens, will the Vatican choose courage, or will it settle for silence?

Because in these increasingly dangerous times, ambiguity will not suffice. ■

The writer served as deputy communications director under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5801442&forum_id=2Firm#49454205)