BEIT JAMAL – The cemetery of the Salesian Monastery at Beit Jamal, near Beit Shemesh west of Jerusalem, was vandalized on Wednesday 17, 2018, by unknown assailants who destroyed many tombs and broke several crosses.

This incident comes two years after similar vandalism that targeted the same cemetery and one year after the desecration of the church of the same Monastery last year. In the two mentioned cases, the security services failed to bring anybody to justice for these acts, and we wonder if today incident would meet similar fate!

It is of regret and anger to see ourselves busy condemning such criminal acts, which were repeated many times in recent years, while we almost don’t see security and/or educational treatment to this dangerous phenomenon by the state authorities, especially while top officials in the country claim as if Christians are doing very well in it!

While we demand the state, with all its relevant bodies, to work for punishing the attackers and educate the people not to make similar offenses, we pray to the Almighty for the retreat of the attackers and hoping that all peoples, especially at our Holy Land, learn to coexist with each other in love and mutual respect, regardless to the diversities among them.

Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem