Exclusive: Pontifical Swiss Guard respond to antisemitic incident
The Catholic Herald • November 10, 2025
A member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard is under investigation following allegations of an antisemitic gesture directed at two Jewish women during a papal audience in St Peter’s.
The incident is reported to have taken place on 29 October at the Arch of the Bells entrance to the Vatican, as pilgrims gathered for a general audience marking the anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the 1965 declaration on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions. The alleged victims were part of an international Jewish delegation attending the event.
In an exclusive correspondence with the Catholic Herald, Corporal Eliah Cinotti, Media Officer of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, confirmed that the matter is under official review.
“The Pontifical Swiss Guard confirms that it has received a report concerning an alleged antisemitic incident that is said to have occurred at one of the official entrances to the Vatican,” he wrote.
He added that “following a preliminary inquiry, the report appears to concern a contentious interaction related to a photograph taken while on duty.” According to Cpl Cinotti, the matter “remains the subject of an internal investigation.”
He emphasised that such inquiries follow “the standard procedure applied in any case where a member of the Swiss Guard is directly involved.”
In his statement, Cpl Cinotti stressed that “the Pontifical Swiss Guard firmly distances itself from any expression or act of antisemitism.”
When asked whether the investigation would be conducted under Vatican judicial oversight or according to Swiss military law, he said the Guard applies strict confidentiality to all such internal proceedings. “Please note that these internal procedures are strictly confidential,” the statement concluded.
The allegations concern claims reported by La Repubblica from Israeli writer and theatre director Michal Govrin, who said that as she and a colleague approached a guard post, “a member of the Pontifical Swiss Guard visibly hissed at us, ‘les juifs,’ the Jews,” before “making a gesture of spitting in our direction with obvious contempt.” The two women were among Jewish representatives attending the papal audience that day.
Speaking separately to the Italian agency ANSA, Cpl Cinotti confirmed that “a contentious incident was reported at one of the guard stations and, as happens on these occasions, an internal investigation has been launched. This is standard procedure because the service must always be performed with the utmost professionalism.” He reiterated that the inquiry “remains confidential.”
Founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II, the Pontifical Swiss Guard is the world’s oldest standing military corps, tasked with protecting the Pope and the Apostolic Palace. Its members, all Swiss nationals and practising Catholics, are expected to uphold the highest standards of conduct.
For now, the internal investigation continues under the Guard’s established procedures, and no further statement is expected.