Father Georg Roewekamp, head of the German Association of the Holy Land, denounced the theft of the cross as an anti-Christian act.
Newsroom (26/08/2021 7:32 PM, Gaudium Press) – On the night of August 18, unidentified vandals tore off a wrought iron cross situated on a stone altar located outside the church of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes in Tabgha, Galilee (Israel). The temple is located on the spot where, according to tradition, Our Lord Jesus Christ performed this miracle.
The act of vandalism was discovered on the morning of August 19 by one of the religious of the Benedictine monastery of Tabgha. The crime was immediately reported to the Israeli police. Unfortunately, the cameras monitoring the area of the monastery were unable to film the action.
Anti-Christian vandalism
Father Georg Roewekamp, head of the German Holy Land Association, believes that the thieves arrived by boat. The six-inch cross was embedded in a basalt rock altar in a place intended for outdoor prayer.
“The cross was very well fixed on the basalt rock and it was ripped off. It was not accidental. This shows how bandits can trespass and desecrate our property,” the priest lamented, pointing out that the theft of the cross was an anti-Christian act.
Respect for symbols and beliefs
The Spokesman for the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, Wadie Abunassar, condemned the episode as an “act of hatred that seems to have been committed by people who hate the cross. We ask the police to seriously investigate and bring those responsible to justice.”
Through a statement, the Catholic ordinaries ask the authorities to educate everyone in respecting the symbols and beliefs of others. “We pray that God will enlighten the minds of those who hate them and guide them on the path of love and respect for all his creatures,” the text emphasizes. (EPC)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
