👹
Controversy over Israel's 'Christian hate crime': nun is shoved over
and repeatedly kicked in Jerusalem after fury over Jesus statue
sledgehammer attack .
THIS is the
shocking moment a defenceless nun is brutally attacked by a man in
the heart of Jerusalem.
Harrowing CCTV
footage shows the unsuspecting nun walking alone when a man suddenly
sprints towards her from behind and violently shoves her with full
force.
The nun, who
was wearing a tunic, is hurled to the floor and viciously kicked in
broad daylight.
She is seen
writhing in pain and clutching her head as the attacker walks away
then suddenly strides back towards her.
He begins to
repeatedly kick the stricken woman as she lies helplessly on the
ground.
The assault
only stops when a bystander rushes in to intervene.
The attack took
place in front of the Cenacle on Mount Zion – a deeply significant
religious site for both Christians and Jews.
Some Christians
believe Jesus held the Last Supper at this location.
Police
confirmed a suspect has now been arrested.
“The suspect,
a 36-year-old male, was identified and subsequently arrested by
police,” the force said, adding it viewed with “utmost severity”
any violent act “driven by potentially racist motives and directed
toward members of the clergy”.
Footage
released by police showed the nun visibly bruised, while the attacker
appeared to be wearing tzitzit – a garment associated with
observant Jewish men.
The Times of
Israel reported that the arrested suspect was Jewish.
The victim –
a 48-year-old nun – has been left deeply shaken by the ordeal.
Father Olivier
Poquillon said: “Yesterday, around 17.45 … she felt someone come
up behind her and throw her with full force onto a rock.
“While the
sister was on the ground, the man began to kick her repeatedly.”
He had earlier
blasted the incident as a “gratuitous assault”, describing it as
an “act of sectarian violence” and warning that “the scourge of
hatred is a common challenge”.
‘Pending the
judicial follow-up, we thank the people who came to the aid of our
sister during the attack she fell victim to, the diplomats, the
academics, and all those who provided their support,’ he wrote.
The French
Consulate in Jerusalem also issued a statement “strongly
condemning” the attack.
Israel’s
foreign ministry branded the assault a “shameful act”, insisting
the country remains committed “to safeguarding freedom of religion
and freedom of worship for all faiths”.
The Faculty of
Humanities at Hebrew University said it was not an isolated case,
warning of a “troubling pattern” of hostility towards Christians.
A European
diplomatic source echoed those fears, claiming anti-Christian abuse –
including insults and spitting at clergy – has become a daily
occurrence.
Wadie
Abunassar, coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, said attacks
targeting Christians are on the rise – but warned perpetrators
often escape serious consequences.
He said he felt
“great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that
this will not end anytime soon”.
“Many times
in such cases there are no arrests and if there are arrests,
sometimes after one or two days, [suspects] are released,” he
added.
“In some
cases, the police do not recommend the prosecution to file charges or
to indict them. And in some cases, when there is indictment, the
indictment is mild.”
Meanwhile,
authorities said those involved in the sledgehammer attack would face
disciplinary action, while efforts were underway to restore the
damaged statue.
Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the act, saying: “I
condemn the act in the strongest terms.”
♰ Happy
Pascha! The Orthodox Easter Holy Fire From Jerusalem to
The World ✨
Yes, Holy Fire has
descended at about 2:14 PM in Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
It appeared in
the edicule (the small chapel built over the burial place of Christ)
about five minutes after the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem,
Theophilos III, entered there to patiently pray and wait.
After the
Fire’s descent, the Patriarch passed the holy gift to the faithful
who lit from it their bundles of 33 candles, per the age of Christ at
the time of His Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Though the Holy
Sepulchre was closed to pilgrims for forty days from the start of the
war with Iran, it reopened on Holy Thursday, in time for the Holy
Fire and Paschal services.
The descent of
the Light was preceded by a complex ceremony: The doors of the
Sepulchre were sealed with a large wax seal as a sign that its
inspection had finished, and in it was found nothing that would allow
the Patriarch of Jerusalem to light the Fire by any ordinary means.
Shortly before
the arrival of Patriarch Theophilos, the seal was removed from the
door of the edicule, and a large lampada and 33 candles were carried
into the Tomb. Then the Patriarch entered and began to wait. Those
present continually prayed for the granting of the Fire until the
time of its appearing.
❖ The Miracle of Holy
Fire (or Holy Light) is the most important ritual in Christianity and
it happens year after year in the Tomb of Christ, inside the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
It
is an annual celebration of Christ's victory over death and Jesus
himself participates.
Thousands
of Christians throng Jerusalem for the traditional Holy Fire rite
ahead of the Orthodox Easter, despite a security clampdown in the
holy city.
Every
Orthodox Holy Saturday in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
thousands gather to witness a flame “miraculously” appearing in
the tomb of Jesus.
Orthodox
Christians believe it’s a potent symbol of the resurrection.
It’s
the Church's most important miracle. And it’s believed to have been
happening annually for the past 1,200 years.
The
ritual begins with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem (or
another Orthodox archbishop), descending into the empty tomb of
Christ within the church and reciting special prayers. A non-Orthodox
Christian is also said to examine the edicule (a small structure
surrounding the tomb) to make sure no oil lamps have been left
burning inside that the patriarch could use to light his candles.
In
the crowded church above the tomb and surrounding the edicule, the
faithful chant with one voice “Kyrie eleison” (Lord, have mercy).
The wait might be long or short but eventually a light is said to
appear in the tomb where the patriarch has been praying alone. He
then lights his candles from this miraculous flame and, accompanied
by the pealing of bells, emerges to spread the fire among the crowd.
The oncedark church becomes illuminated by the miraculous Holy Fire.
It
is said that for the first several minutes the fire burns, but does
not consume. During this time, many of the faithful bathe their faces
and hands in the flame, apparently without being harmed. The flame is
passed from candle to candle and then placed in lanterns so that it
can be spread far and wide.
🔥
Iranian missile explodes near Jerusalem’s unholy sites
An Iranian
missile blew a crater in Jerusalem’s historic Old City near the
Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The projectile
smashed into a hillside just inside the fortified walls of the
ancient city, leaving debris strewn across the streets a few hundred
metres from the religious sites.
Israeli
officials said that the impact was caused by an Iranian missile, not
a fragment from an interceptor.
“The Iranian
attack on the holy sites sacred to all three religions reveals the
madness of the Iranian regime, which claims to be religious,”
Israel’s foreign ministry wrote on X, calling it an “Iranian
gift” for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
A later
statement from the Israeli police said that the “warhead that
fell... contained dozens of kilogrammes of explosives”.
Air raid sirens
rang out repeatedly across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv on Friday. At least
two people were injured near Tel Aviv.
