Gethsemani basilica arson

 

Damaged mosaics at
Gethsemani

Yesterday afternoon a jewish man entered the basilica of Gethsemani and poured inflammable fluid over the pews and mosaic floor of the sanctuary and set it on fire. The guard was quick to realise and held the man till the police arrived. Other youths helped put out the fire. It was clearly a hate crime, anti-christian, as that same church was set on fire 15 years ago by an jewish soldier before - destroying the altar, carpet, organ and tabernacle. It's an easy target because it's huge and dark. From that basilica up to where we live on the Via Dolorosa (Way of the cross) in the Old City, jews daily pass by to spit at the cross, the church and at us. Daily. Even the muslim neighbours here know about it and have videoed it. What has upset everyone was when the police arrested the man, they immediately changed the attack from hate crime to criminal act. We have seen all this before ... he'll not be charged. He'll declare insanity. He'll be freed. That's exactly what happened to the jewish soldier who burnt the same sanctuary. That guy even went to Jaffa and threw a hand grenade, destroying the tabernacle and desecrating the hosts. And he was not charged because he pleaded insanity. If it were a synagogue that was burnt, the perpetrator would have been charged with anti-semitism hate crime, his house destroyed, his family and whole village would be collectively punished and world leaders will be raising a hue and cry over the vandalism of a synagogue. But here it's only a christian basilica, 1600 years old whre Christ sweated blood before his crucifixion .... no christian world leader will open his mouth. Nothing from Trump, Merkel, Macron, Trudeau .... not one peep. There is Divine Justice ... and many many people will be called to task.

New Patriarch at Holy
Sepulchre

At the same time inside the Christian Quarter yesterday, our new Patriarch made his solemn entrance into the Holy Sepulchre, and then a reception at the Patriarchate where he received well-wishers. Due to covid restrictions, few people were allowed to participate but the entire ceremony was streamed live. That's how religious services will be for some time to come. Get use to it.