Timothy Cardinal Dolan encouraged people of all faiths to "be not afraid" amid violence targeting select groups.
Dolan, the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, took to social media on Monday following a weekend that included deadly shooting attacks in Australia and at Brown University in Rhode Island.
The Australian attack, which targeted a Hanukkah ceremony at Bondi Beach in Sydney, killed at least 15 people and has been designated a terrorist act by New South Wales police.
In a message and video posted on X as the third week of Advent began, and on the first day of Hanukkah, Dolan recalled a "terribly mean protest" outside a Jewish synagogue in New York City, where demonstrators shouted at worshippers going in for Sabbath services: "Be scared! Be scared!"
Dolan rejected the intimidation, pointing instead to a repeated biblical command: "Be not afraid," and urging believers to stand firm in faith rather than give in to fear.
He wrote that people who simply want to worship should never be bullied into fear and that faith calls Americans to display courage.
Dolan's remarks land as fresh examples of targeted violence and threats dominated headlines over the weekend.
Pope Leo XIV denounced what he called "antisemitic violence" after the deadly attack in Australia.
The Pope prayed for the victims and called for the "gift of peace and fraternity" during the holiday season, while urging people to root hatred out of their hearts.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the incident as antisemitic terrorism, according to reports.
Meanwhile, authorities in Rhode Island continued searching for the shooter who opened fire at Brown University on Saturday.
Officials said two people were killed and nine injured, and police later released a detained person of interest after evidence pointed elsewhere.
For Dolan, the message is clear: When mobs or extremists try to terrorize communities — whether Jews heading into synagogue, students caught in gunfire on campus, or families mourning overseas — the proper response is not surrender to panic, but resolve grounded in faith and solidarity.
Dolan's message doesn't call for passivity. It calls for spiritual courage and for Americans to refuse the politics of intimidation that tells believers to hide, stay quiet, or "be scared."
As the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons unfold, Dolan's charge is a direct rebuke to the forces that want communities fractured and fearful: Remember the timeless command, "be not afraid," and stand with those under threat.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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