Scottish Catholic Observer

The Catholic custodian of holy places in the Holy Land has asked the president of Israel to help put an end to attacks on Christian holy sites.

In a letter to President Shimon Peres, Fr Pierbattista Pizzaballa said that vandals had spray painted ‘Death to Christians’ and ‘We’ll crucify you’ on the Baptist Church in Jerusalem and similar hate graffiti on a Greek Orthodox monastery in the city.

Fr Pizzaballa (above) wrote that ‘red lines that must not be crossed have been crossed’ and asked Mr Peres to help eradicate ‘this dangerous phenomenon.’

“These shocking slogans sprayed on Christian sites of prayer, especially in Jerusalem, hurt the feelings of all the Christians in Israel, regardless of their creed, as well as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting Jerusalem and the holy land, and millions more worldwide,” Fr Pizzaballa said in his letter.

The anti-Christian graffiti is suspected to be the work of Jewish extremists who have attacked various targets, including Christian and Muslim holy sites as well as Israeli military equipment, to protest what they believe to be anti-settler positions by the government.

President Peres’ office has said that he took the appeal ‘very seriously’ and that he was working on the matter personally.

Speaking to Jerusalem press yesterday, Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said the Christian community was extremely angry over the attacks.

“The people who do these things are the enemies of the state,” he said. “The eyes of the entire world are on Jerusalem, the city of three religions. Attacks on any place of worship, churches, synagogues or mosques, must all be condemned.”

—[email protected]