An Israeli soldier destroyed a statue of Christ’s crucifixion in a Catholic village in southern Lebanon, which prompted a criminal investigation by Israel and condemnations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Catholic leaders. Source: EWTN News.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday confirmed the authenticity of a photo on social media showing one of its soldiers using a sledgehammer to strike the face of Christ on the statue in the village of Debel, which is more than 95 per cent Catholic and more than 99 per cent Christian.
The photo shows that the statue was already damaged before the photo was taken, with Christ’s body hanging upside down off of the cross, with only his feet connected to the wood. Photos do not show how the initial damage occurred prior to the soldier using the sledgehammer.
After confirming the authenticity of the photo, the IDF announced an investigation into the matter on its official X account.
The IDF promised “appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings” and that the IDF is helping the community restore the statue.
“The IDF is operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols,” the statement read.
Mr Netanyahu said in a post on X he was “stunned and saddened” by the actions, and “I condemn the act in the strongest terms.” He promised a criminal investigation and said military authorities “will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender.”
“We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world,” Mr Netanyahu added.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, condemned the destruction of the statue as “a grave affront to the Christian faith” in a statement issued through the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, of which he is the president.
“It further reveals a disturbing failure in moral and human formation, wherein even the most elementary reverence for the sacred and for the dignity of others has been gravely compromised,” Cardinal Pizzaballa said.
The assembly called for “immediate and decisive disciplinary action, a credible process of accountability, and clear assurances that such conduct will neither be tolerated nor repeated.”
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Israel investigates soldier who destroyed crucifix in Lebanon amid Catholic outcry (By Tyler Arnold, EWTN News)
