By AC Wimmer
Jan 2, 2026 / 09:33 am
The president of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference is calling for a dedicated national inquiry into antisemitism beyond the government’s recently announced security inquiry following the deadly Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth said in a Jan. 1 statement that the Richardson Review into law enforcement and intelligence agencies was “an important step” but argued that Australia needs “some form of wider, national inquiry with sufficient authority and resourcing which can probe into the deeper issues which lie at the heart of antisemitism.”
“It is only by shining a light into the dark corners of our society — including its political, business, academic, media, religious, and cultural institutions — that we can hope to unmask the antisemitism which might otherwise go unseen, unacknowledged, and unaddressed,” Costelloe said.
Islamist attackers killed 16 people
The archbishop’s call comes 18 days after Islamist gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 40 others. Among the dead were a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis, and a Holocaust survivor.
Australian authorities declared the massacre a terrorist incident and identified the attackers as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram. The elder Akram was killed by police at the scene, while his son remains in critical condition under police guard.
Federal police confirmed the attackers were inspired by the Islamic State, had pledged allegiance to ISIS, and traveled to an Islamist hotspot in the Philippines in November 2025 for what security sources believe was military-style training, though investigators found no evidence of a broader terrorist cell.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Richardson Review on Dec. 21 to examine the performance of federal law enforcement and intelligence-sharing bodies charged with preventing terrorist attacks.
Pope Leo condemned the violence
“A society that protects its Jewish community is a society that protects everyone,” Costelloe said.
“To fight antisemitism is to commit to a shared humanity in our country that seeks to ‘ advance Australia fair.’”
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney condemned what he called a “festering” atmosphere of antisemitism in Australia and called for an end to “blind prejudice and hatred.”
Fisher, who has Jewish heritage through his great-grandmother, said any attack on Jews “is an attack on all of us” and announced that the Catholic community would “redouble its efforts” to combat antisemitism through education and preaching.
Pope Leo XIV also condemned the violence, entrusting the victims to God in prayer and calling for an end to “these forms of antisemitic violence.”
