At the heart of the dispute is an extraordinary charge made - indirectly but unmistakably - Israel’s ambassador to the Holy See: that the Vatican’s daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, is guilty of antisemitism. (One would laugh at this if it were not so serious!!)
The incident stems from a column published on August 7 by Jesuit theologian David Neuhaus, a German-Israeli scholar born in South Africa to Jewish parents and a former vicar for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Jerusalem.
His essay, titled “Reading the Bible after the destruction of Gaza,” reflected on the moral dangers of weaponizing Scripture in the midst of war.
Written in sober and contemplative tones, it argued that the Word of God must never be used to justify violence or territorial conquest.
While many readers praised the text as a thoughtful meditation on faith amid tragedy, it triggered a far sharper reaction from Ambassador Yaron Sideman. (Quelle surprise!!)
On August 14, the Israeli Embassy to the Holy See posted on X an article by Jules Gomes, published in the Middle East Forum Observer, which accused Neuhaus of historical distortion and directly labeled L’Osservatore Romano as “known for antisemitism.”
By amplifying and endorsing that assessment, Sideman effectively allowed the charge to stand as his own.
Catholic-themed merchandise Indigenous women empowerment products Such language is explosive in the delicate arena of Vatican-Israeli relations.
L’Osservatore Romano is not just any Catholic outlet; it is the papal newspaper, overseen by the Secretariat of State and formally part of the Holy See’s communications apparatus.
To brand it antisemitic is, in diplomatic terms, to cast doubt on the very credibility of the Vatican as a moral voice.
The move did not go unanswered in academic and ecclesial circles.
Historian Matteo Luigi Napolitano, an expert on international relations and a longtime contributor to Vatican studies, responded sharply on social media.
Addressing the ambassador directly, he warned that such a statement could render Sideman persona non grata under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“There are things an ambassador cannot say without consequences,” Napolitano argued, stressing that accusing the Pope’s newspaper of antisemitism crossed a line of diplomatic propriety. (Shock horror at Israel and Diplomacy - not two words usually seen in the same sentence...)