Israel: Thousands protest at destruction of church by Jewish extremists

Loaves and fishes, Tabgha

Thousands of Christians in Galilee gathered on Sunday, 21 June at the Church of the miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha, which was badly damaged in an arson attack last Thursday. Hundreds of young people protested, blocked the roads carrying crosses and white and yellow Vatican flags and singing hymns.

A special Mass was celebrated in the gutted church, by Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Patriarch Emeritus of Jerusalem of the Latins. The Mass was attended by the US deputy ambassador to Israel, William Grant, while the Benedictine monastic community living in the Sanctuary welcomed the Druze and Muslim delegations who came to express their solidarity.

Many senior heads of diplomatic missions in Israel have condemned the arson attack and pledged to follow the progress of the police investigation. There have been several 'price tag' attacks on Christian and Muslim buildings in recent months. This latest incident bears the hallmarks of numerous desecrations carried out by groups of extremist Jewish settlers on monasteries, churches, Christian cemeteries and mosques, since February 2012. So far not one of the attackers has ever been officially identified or prosecuted.

This latest attack on such a well-known church has attracted so much international attention, commentators hope the authorities will make more effort to find the perpetrators.

After the attack, inscriptions in Hebrew bearing the passage of a prayer recited three times a day by practicing Jews, asking God to destroy idols and pagan were found on the walls of the church

US Deputy Chief of Mission William Grant told he wanted to express his condemnation and disgust with the alleged attack, which he described as a "hate crime" like last week's attack on the church in Charleston, South Carolina, that left nine African Americans dead.U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission William Grant attended the mass, telling Haaretz he wanted to express his condemnation and disgust with the alleged attack, which he described as a hate crime like last week's attack on the church in Charleston, South Carolina, that left nine African Americans dead.

Patriarch Sabbah said that Israel's churches and Christians were not asking for any special protection, but that Israel, as a country that defined itself as a democracy that upholds freedom of worship, must act to prevent such incidents and take measures against inciters. He added that condemnations were important, but even more important is that intensive steps be taken to protect holy sites.

Source: Fides/Haaretz