Israel: Wave of anti-Christian violence

TEL AVIV, APRIL 30 - ''A wave of anti-Christian violence and vandalism by Jews'' was registered last Sunday in Galilee, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement by the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land condemning with ''grave concern'' incidents which took place during ''a very meaningful day for the universal and local Church, for the canonization of two popes and one month from the visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land''.

In the statement, the Catholic Ordinaries then listed the facts that occurred, starting from an incident in the ''holy place of Tabgha on lake Tiberias, kept by Benedictine fathers'' by ''a dozen youths, aged 13 to 15, dressed like 'Orthodox Jews' who hailed from the 'source of Job'; a ''letter with threats'' also arrived at the patriarchal vicarage of Nazareth, signed by a local rabbi who was later arrested by police. Finally, ''an assault on the Orthodox church of Al-Bassah, in north-west Israel, during a baptism'' was reported. ''Christians in Galilee, together with the assembly of Ordinaries, are outraged by these episodes, and ask civil authorities and police forces to quickly promptly by arresting those responsible''. (ANSAmed)