The Church of the Holy Virgin at Gethsemane, under the joint supervision of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches, has been subjected to an attack. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement condemning the attack on the church.
“Although this attack on the Church of the Holy Virgin was the first since the beginning of this year, the other Christian holy sites have constantly been subjected to physical violence and psychological pressure by shameless attackers. If the previous attacks on Christian holy sites had been promptly condemned by the local authorities, and the perpetrators punished with the full severity of the law, new attacks on Christian communities, churches and monasteries would not have occurred.
Religious intolerance and hate-filled crimes, in all their manifestations, will never ensure conditions for peaceful coexistence. Especially when these attacks are left uncontrolled by the dominant authorities today, this will further encourage hate-filled crimes and intolerance. Such actions and their impunity create insecure conditions for Christian communities and sow seeds of distrust among the faithful, pilgrims and residents towards the local authorities.
Therefore, we call on the Government of Israel and the police to take serious measures to prevent such attacks and to protect both Christian holy sites and their daily servants from further encroachments and attacks,” the statement issued by the Patriarchate said.
