PODCAST: Why is this Catholic leader rallying his fellow Christians to stand against antisemitism?

Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian-Catholic Shrine in Ottawa, is promoting a national campaign urging Christians to show support for Canada's Jews, who have been the target of skyrocketing antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023.

Listen below to Ellin Bessner as she interviews Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett on The CJN Daily:

The CJN Daily - Ellin Bessner interviews Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett

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Just before Rosh Hashanah, Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, a Catholic community leader in Ottawa, launched a campaign to convince more of his Christian colleagues to take a public stand against spiking antisemitism. Bennett, a deacon with a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic parish shrine in the national capital, made the Canadian Christian Declaration Against Antisemitism earlier this year, hoping to receive a few hundred signatures by the time his petition closed on Oct. 25. To his delight, more than 700 people joined his initiative, including faith leaders from many Christian denominations—including leaders from Catholic, Anglican, United and Evangelical churches.

So what happens next? Bennett has committed to put the declaration’s words into action, with plans to hold a summit in 2025 for interfaith leaders. His ultimate goal is to establish a year-long program to pair individual congregations and schools for in-person events and Shabbat dinners.

On The CJN Daily, Bennett joins to explain why he believes Christians have an ancient moral and religious responsibility to protect and encourage their “Jewish cousins”, and why he believes Canadians – including Christians and also Muslims – cannot remain silent in the face of record-breaking anti-Jewish hate crimes.