Orthodox clerics attacked during church service in East Jerusalem

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has described the attack on the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, and on an archbishop and priest during Sunday service as “an atrocious terrorist crime”.

“His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, along the Holy Synod and the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre, the clergy and the faithful, condemn the heinous terrorist attack that took place this morning during the Sunday service, at the hands of two Israeli radicals, which targeted the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, where the Tomb of the Virgin Mary lies. The Patriarchate also denounces the attempt to cause physical harm to Archbishop Joachim, who was leading the service, as well as the attack on one of the priests in the church,” read a statement by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The incident took place during service on March 19. The two men were apprehended by others in the church.

“This attack on the Church of the Tomb of Virgin Mary in Jerusalem is an atrocious terrorist crime that cannot be justified under any circumstances. The Patriarchate calls upon the international community to intervene immediately to provide security and protection to the Christians of Jerusalem and their holy places, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which are being subjected to deplorable forms of violations and attacks at the hands of radical Israeli organisations. The Patriarchate further demands that the necessary legal measures be taken against all those involved in terrorist crimes against any holy site," it said.

The Patriarchate said terrorist attacks by radical Israeli groups, targeting churches, cemeteries, and Christian properties, in addition to physical and verbal abuse against Christian clergy, have become almost a daily occurrence that evidently increases in intensity during Christian holidays. “This dismal situation hasn’t drawn any appropriate reaction, locally or internationally, despite appeals, requests, and protests made by the Churches of the Holy Land. It is painfully clear now that the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land is in great danger,” read the statement.

Video footage from the attack

Condemnation 

The Patriarchate pointed out that Jerusalem “is a witness to the most significant events in Christian history, that are deeply rooted in the Christian faith. These facts reinforce Christian connection and attachment to this city, which we as Christians, our churches, holy sites and heritage constitute an essential component of its diverse history, present, and future."

Palestine also has appealed for international action to halt Israeli settler attacks against holy sites in East Jerusalem. As far as international law is concerned, East Jerusalem, which comprises the Old City and the holy sites, is a Palestinian territory under Israeli occupation since the 1967 war. Israel declared the city, "complete and united", as its capital according to its 1980 Jerusalem Law, a status that is not recognized by the United Nations.

"The repetition of these assaults is part of the official Israeli targeting of Jerusalem and its Christian and Islamic holy sites," the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.  "These assaults are part of Israel's Judaization of Jerusalem and attempts to impose Israeli sovereignty [on Jerusalem] and detach the city from its Palestinian surrounding," it added.

Pope Francis recently highlighted the "universal value" of Jerusalem and appealed that the holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims not be embroiled by "ideology or political alignment". "I would reiterate...that Jerusalem be considered, "the common patrimony of humanity and especially of the followers of the three monotheistic religions, as a place of encounter and as a symbol of peaceful coexistence," Francis said. 

Attacks on Christian churches, holy sites regularly vandalized

Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders in Jerusalem have often appealed to authorities in Israel, Palestine to help curb the increasing trend of violence and intimidation that Christians in the Holy Land are facing. They have said that since 2012 there have been countless incidents of physical and verbal assaults against priests and other clergy, attacks on Christian churches, with holy sites regularly vandalized and desecrated, and ongoing intimidation of local Christians who simply seek to worship freely and go about their daily lives. 

Just recently, a man destroyed a statue of Jesus with a hammer at the Church of the Flagellation located on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, the route that Christ walked to Mount Calvary. The attack took place on February 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple.

Before that, some tourists were attacked by a group of religious Jews who entered the New Gate where they "committed acts of vandalism at the New Gate, near the headquarters of the Custody of the Holy Land, throwing chairs, tables and glasses and transforming the Christian quarter into a battlefield." And two weeks before that, a Christian cemetery in Jerusalem was vandalized and "Death to Christians" graffiti written on the walls of a monastery in the Armenian quarter and premises used as a church in the Maronite center of Ma'alot.

"We follow with concern and strongly condemn this growing succession of serious acts of hatred and violence against the Christian community in Israel," read the statement of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land after the incidents. “We specifically refer to these serious incidents of intolerance, crimes of hatred, and vandalism directed against Christians in Israel," it said.