Ultranationalist Jews chant racist slogans during annual march into Jerusalem’s Old City
Large crowds of ultranationalist Jews gathered at the foot of Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, chanting racist slogans such as "Death to Arabs" and "May your villages burn" during the annual Jerusalem Day march. Police barred parts of the plaza for journalists, while the Old City’s Palestinian residents largely stayed inside, closing shops for the day. The march commemorates Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in 1967, and the hard‑line government is using the event to rally its religious and nationalist base ahead of upcoming elections. Participants like 21‑year‑old Yehonatan Sopher describe the march as a religious duty, while the procession has a history of violent clashes with Palestinian residents.
5 months ago
Large crowds of ultranationalist Jews gathered at Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate on May 14‑15, 2026 to mark Jerusalem Day, chanting overtly racist slogans and entering the Old City’s Palestinian neighborhoods. The march, overseen by Israeli police, sparked confrontations with local residents and drew criticism from religious leaders and civil‑society groups. 1
The annual Jerusalem Day parade began at the foot of Damascus Gate and proceeded through the Old City’s Arab‑populated quarters. Police cordoned off parts of the plaza for media safety, while many Palestinian shop owners stayed closed inside their homes. 1
Organizers were predominantly young, male ultranationalist Jews. Crowd chants included “Death to Arabs,” “May your villages burn,” and “Muhammad is dead.” 1
Yehonatan Sopher, a 21‑year‑old seminary student, said he has attended the march since childhood and dismissed the hateful chants as the actions of a small minority. 1
The march coincided with Israel’s approach to new elections, prompting the hard‑line government to court its religious and nationalist base. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir made a provocative visit to the Al‑Aqsa compound earlier that day, raising an Israeli flag and declaring “the Temple Mount is in our hands.” 1
Jerusalem Day commemorates Israel’s 1967 capture of East Jerusalem, a claim not recognized internationally, while Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. 1
Jerusalem remains a flashpoint in the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict, with both sides claiming deep religious and national ties to the city. Israel regards the entire city as its undivided capital, while Palestinians seek an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. 1
How does Catholic teaching address religious nationalism and interfaith violence?
Catholic teaching addresses religious nationalism and interfaith violence by insisting that faith must never be used to absolutize a people, a state, or an ethnic identity—and by placing the dignity of every person at the center, which directly excludes violence and hatred toward religious others.
Pope John Paul II teaches that history shows a quick slide from nationalism toward totalitarianism, where “people themselves” stop being equal and the “unity of mankind” is rejected. He adds that the Church “cannot accept such a vision,” because she is universal by nature and “never identifies with any one national community.”
He also describes what happens when Christianity becomes a tool of nationalism: it is “wounded in its very heart and made sterile.”
John Paul II cites Pope Pius XI’s condemnation of the practice of exalting “race,” “the people,” or “the State” and “diviniz[ing] them to an idolatrous level,” which “distorts and perverts” the order God planned.
So, for Catholic teaching, the core issue is not patriotism as such, but the moment when a national or ethnic identity is treated as absolute—replacing God and the moral law.
Catholic ecumenical guidance explicitly names “the linking of faith to politics through nationalism and chauvinism” as a contemporary challenge for Christian formation and pastoral work.
Pope Francis says that extremist nationalism is on the rise and that it produces “new forms of selfishness” and loss of the social sense, “under the guise of defending national interests.” He also warns that some people feel “encouraged or at least permitted by their faith” to support “narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia and contempt,” and he calls for “an immediate response whenever they rear their head.”
At the level of moral formation, he presents a criterion: the worth of countries is measured by whether they can think as part of the “larger human family,” and he warns that nationalism “closes their doors to others.”
John Paul II states directly that “religion is the enemy of exclusion and discrimination, of hatred and rivalry, of violence and conflict.” He adds a specific warning: religion must not become an “excuse for violence,” especially “when religious identity coincides with cultural and ethnic identity.”
The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue teaches: “All forms of religiously motivated violence are to be considered an attack against religion itself and the true good of human society.” It also says Christians are called “to prevent instrumentalization of religion for political or other ends and to counter terrorism positively.”
This directly addresses a common pattern in real-world conflicts: religion is “weaponized” for power, prestige, or political advantage rather than lived in truth and charity.
A Catholic principle for Christian witness in multi-religious settings says Christians “reject all forms of violence, even psychological or social, including the abuse of power,” and also reject “unjust discrimination or repression” by religious or secular authorities—down to “violation or destruction of places of worship, sacred symbols or texts.”
Pope Francis cautions Christians, faced with violent fundamentalism, to avoid “hateful generalisations,” because “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.”
Likewise, Nostra Aetate addresses the historical temptation to blame a whole people: the Council says the Church decries hatred and persecution and warns that Jews should not be presented as “rejected or accursed by God.”
Pope Francis teaches that sincere and humble worship of God “bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred and violence,” but in “respect for the sacredness of life… dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all.”
And while he says terrorists often instrumentalize religion, the underlying causes include “incorrect interpretations of religious texts” plus policies tied to “hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride.” He then calls terrorism an “international crime” that must be condemned “in all its forms and expressions.”
Nostra Aetate teaches that the Church “exhorts her sons” to recognize, preserve, and promote what is good among other religions through “dialogue and collaboration… with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life.”
Pope John Paul II emphasizes that interreligious dialogue is not an attempt “to impose our views,” but involves holding to what Christians believe while listening respectfully, discerning what is “good and holy,” and cooperating for “mutual understanding and peace.”
For Muslims, Nostra Aetate acknowledges that “not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen” between Christians and Muslims, and it urges people to “forget the past and… work sincerely for mutual understanding” and to preserve and promote peace and freedom together.
For Jews, Nostra Aetate insists on mutual understanding and respect as a fruit of biblical and theological study and dialogues, while condemning anti-Semitism and persecution.
The Catechism states: “Peace is not merely the absence of war,” and it requires safeguarding “the goods of persons,” “free communication,” “respect for the dignity of persons and peoples,” and the practice of “fraternity.” It also says peace is “the work of justice and the effect of charity.”
These principles show why interfaith violence is treated not only as a “security” issue, but as a moral failure against justice and charity.
Catholic teaching therefore treats both religious nationalism and interfaith violence as failures of charity and truth: they distort the Church’s universal identity and profane religion by turning it into an excuse for hatred, coercion, or bloodshed.