Denver Newsroom, Dec 16, 2021 / 13:49 pm
Christian leaders in Jerusalem are seeking an “urgent dialogue” with local authorities to discuss further protections for Christians in the Holy Land.
“Throughout the Holy Land, Christians have become the target of frequent and sustained attacks by fringe radical groups,” reads a Dec. 13 statement signed by 13 patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem.
Over the past decade there have been countless verbal and physical assaults against Christian clergy and acts of vandalism against Christian churches and holy sites, the leaders warned.
“These tactics are being used by such radical groups in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land,” they said, adding that radical groups are also buying property in the Christian Quarter in Old City Jerusalem in an attempt to diminish the Christian presence in the city.