Outrage has grown after a photo surfaced of an Israeli soldier desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon. Concerns are mounting about increasing anti-Christian behaviour as Israel continues the war in the Middle East. Source: Catholic Review.
In a photo shared online on May 6, an IDF soldier can be seen holding a cigarette over the mouth of Mary. Responding to the photo, newly appointed IDF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the soldier’s conduct “completely deviates from the values expected of its personnel”.
“Following an initial review, the image in question was taken several weeks ago. The incident will be investigated, and command measures will be taken against the soldier in accordance with the findings,” Lieutenant Colonel Shoshani said in an account that has since been taken over by a new IDF spokeswoman, Ariella Mazor.
According to The Times of Israel, the military’s initial assessment of the photo was that it was taken several weeks ago in the Lebanese village of Debel, the same area where an Israeli soldier was photographed more than two weeks ago striking the head of a statue of Jesus with the blunt side of an axe.
The latest incident drew outrage, including a statement from Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which said that such “actions offend the religious sentiments of Christians”.
Fr Fadi Felefli, the parish priest of Debel told the BBC: “Honestly, this issue really provoked us, especially after the apology regarding the cross.”
“It also shows that there are individuals within the (Israeli) army that lack ethics and values and are bigoted. This reflects a great deal of fanaticism,” Fr Felefli said, confirming that the Virgin Mary statue was still intact and not broken, but he called such actions “unethical”, the BBC said.
OSV News reached out to both the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land for comment on the latest incident and is awaiting a response.
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Israeli soldier photographed desecrating Mary statue in Lebanon (By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News via Catholic Review)
