Eucharist desecrated on Mt. Tabor

Consecrated Hosts thrown on the floor

The dreadful crime was committed yesterday on the Mt. of Transfiguration in our Basilica. The tabernacle doors was torn open, consecrated hosts thrown on the floor, ciborium's stolen, icons defaced, offering boxes robbed. It's still not known who did it ... hooligan jews who were holidaying in the park around the Basilica or arabs in the nearby villages. It was a night job.

I heard of the news when I met the Vice Custos coming out of his car in the courtyard. He was sick with the flu, but he looked very worried about something else. He told me about the robbery and desecration. It was horrible.

Tabernacle broken
and Eucharist on
the floor

Will the Israeli Police do something about it? Will anyone be arrested? This news was only reported in one newspaper whereas graffiti on a Mexico synagogue was widely reported.

It's not simply a robbery because icons and mosaics were defaced and had graffiti. It was a hate crime, an anti-christian crime ... plus a robbery in which the gold ciborium's and chalices were also stolen. Yes this is part and parcel of the persecution of the Church in the Middle East.