South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein has accused Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby of “abandoning” the bible and failing to protect Christians and Western values.

In a 15-minute video on his YouTube channel, Rabbi Goldstein criticised the two Christian leaders for their “indifference” to the persecution of Christians by jihadist groups and their hostility to Israel’s fight against terrorism, claiming this stance only strengthens extremist forces threatening global stability.

Rabbi Goldstein said the two senior Christian leaders “have abandoned their most sacred duty to protect and defend the values of the Bible.”

“The world is locked in a civilisational battle of values, threatened by terrorism and violent jihad. Now is the time for religious leaders to come to the defence of society, to speak up for Western values and freedoms.”

Instead, the South African Rabbi said that Pope Francis and the Anglican Archbishop had been “silent”.

Rabbi Goldstein attacked the Archbishop of Canterbury for his support for the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which declared Israel an illegal occupier of Palestinian land – he said this support “puts him in direct opposition to the Bible.”

By calling Israel an “occupier” and echoing the claims of Hamas, the archbishop has bolstered the forces of jihadism that threaten Europe, the rabbi said.

“The Bible is not just a book of theology; it is a book of historical facts. What today the UN and its ICJ calls the West Bank, the Bible calls Judea and Samaria, and lies squarely within the borders of the land that God promised and delivered to the Jewish people. Which raises the question: does Archbishop Welby actually believe in the Bible?

Speaking as “One religious leader to another”, the rabbi went on: “Are Jews in his view illegal occupiers in the land of Israel, the same land of Israel that includes the West Bank that is mentioned at least 170 times in the Hebrew bible? Does he regard the Bible as mere myth?”

“The head of the Church of England denying the claims of the bible in order to support the ICJ" threatens Israel, the UK and Europe, Rabbi Goldstein added.

“The Jihadi ideology that seeks to destroy Israel is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe. With open-border policies in the UK and across Europe, immigrants have poured into these countries, many brandishing a violent Jihadi ideology deeply hostile to Christianity, liberal democracy and Western values.”

Rabbi Goldstein said this had created no-go areas in London and Paris.

“Jews feel unsafe in Europe today,” the rabbi deduces.

“Jewish children in London, for example, can no longer wear school uniforms with Jewish emblems in public for fear of being attacked. This tells us that something terrible is wrong.

“And Europe's foremost religious leaders – Archbishop Welby and Pope Francis – do nothing, say nothing, except to echo the narrative of the same Jihadi forces in their barbaric battle against Israel.”

The chief rabbi accused the two Christian leaders of indifference to the plight of Africa’s Christians who have been murdered in targeted killings by Islamist terrorists.

“They stand by passively as their fellow Christians in Africa are butchered by Jihadi groups with direct ties to Israel's enemies in Gaza and the West Bank – groups like Boko Haram, ISIS and al-Shabaab that are the ideological brothers in arms of Hamas. Both Archbishop Welby and Pope Francis have largely ignored the crisis or refused to call it by its name.”

He claimed the religious leaders have avoided labelling Islamist terror: “They cannot even name the murderous philosophy that drives these killings and abductions. Their cowardice and lack of moral clarity threaten the future of the free world.

The chief rabbi urged Archbishop Welby and Pope Francis to “Fulfill your most basic fiduciary duty – speak up for and defend Christianity and Christians in Europe and Africa.

“Stand with Israel in its brave fight for survival against the brutal Jihadists of Hamas and Hezbollah led by Iran. Defend and protect the noble societies of the free world who recognise the equality and dignity of every human being created in God’s image.

“Go back to the Bible. The answers we need are right there.”

Rabbi Goldstein previously spoke against South Africa’s political alliance with Iran and said his country’s push to have Israel declared a genocidal state by the ICJ was a betrayal of millions of South Africans.

“The current political and military struggles in the world need to be seen in a moral context, a battle of values between the countries of the free world which uphold human dignity and individual liberty – great democracies such as the US, UK, Israel, India, Japan, and others – and tyrannical regimes such as Iran, China, Russia and North Korea,” the rabbi told the JC earlier this year. 

Archbishop Welby and the Pope have been approached for comment.