Posted on 04/01/2022 6:37:48 PM PDT by marshmallow
Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - The leaders of the churches in Jerusalem condemn the attack by settlers belonging to the Israeli organization Ateret Cohanim on Saturday, March 26, at the historic Petra Hostel near the Jaffa Gate, in the Christian quarter of the Old City.
The possession of the old hotel for pilgrims is at the center of a grueling legal dispute between Ateret Cohanim and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem, which claims ownership of the property and denounces the fraudulent ways in which it was used by the organization, linked to the Israeli settler movement. On Tuesday March 29, a delegation of leaders of Jerusalem's churches, accompanied by diplomatic representatives from other countries and representatives of the Muslim community, visited the disputed building and expressed their solidarity with the building's management and staff.
The delegation included, among others, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton ofm, and Bishop Giacinto Boulos Marcuzzo, former Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The visit to the disputed building was also attended by Hatem Abdel-Qader, in his capacity as Secretary General of the Islamic Christian Committee for Assistance to Jerusalem and the Holy Places. On the evening of Sunday, March 27, dozens of Israeli police officers and settlers from Ateret Cohanim took control of the first floor of the hotel, in an illegal act of violence, according to the management of the structure, while they have not yet been definitively carried out the legal procedures relating to the disputed transfer of ownership of the disputed property.
The area is part of the Christian quarter in Jerusalem and is located strategically near the western walls of the city, which is thriving with tourists and pilgrims visiting the Church of......
(Excerpt) Read more at fides.org ...
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