The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has denounced Sunday’s attack on the Church of Gethsemane in East Jerusalem, where the Tomb of the Virgin Mary lies.
“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 on Tuesday.
“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.
“Therefore, we call 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,” reads the statement.
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