The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has strongly condemned the attack on the St. Mary’s
Church of Gethsemane, which according to the Status Quo of the Holy Places is under the joint
control of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Churches.
“Though it was the first attack on St. Mary since the beginning of tis year, the Christian
Holy Shrines have been in a constant state of both physical and emotional duress by rogue
attackers. Had these previous attacks on the Christian Holy Places been swiftly condemned by
the local authorities leading to the perpetrators’ punishment to the full extent of the law, there
‘would not be an influx of new attacks on the churches and monasteries of these Christian communities,” the Patriarchate said in a statement.
“Religious intolerance and hate crimes in all their forms and perpetrations will never
allow the conditions of peaceful co-existence to manifest. In fact, their presence—especially
when gone unchecked by prevailing authorities—will encourage other hateful crimes and
intolerances to take place. These actions and their lack of condemnation lead to unsafe
conditions for these communities and establishes a lack of trust between worshipers, tourists, and residents with the local authorities,” it added.
Therefore, the Patriarchate calls upon the Israeli Government and the Police to take serious measures
to prevent such attacks and to protect both the Christian Holy sites and their daily worshipers
from further vandalism and suchlike attacks.
