Overview
- Swiss Guard spokesperson Cpl Eliah Cinotti confirmed the guard was placed under a standard internal investigation and said the inquiry is confidential.
- A preliminary Vatican reconstruction indicates the encounter began after a request to take a photo at a guard post.
- The alleged incident occurred at a side entrance to St. Peter’s Square during a general audience marking 60 years of Nostra aetate.
- Israeli writer Michal Govrin and scholar Vivian Liska say the guard uttered “les juifs” and made a spitting gesture toward them.
- The Swiss Guard publicly distanced itself from antisemitism, and Pope Leo used the same audience to denounce antisemitic acts; no disciplinary decision has been announced.