Shrine to Jesus in Israel ‘robbed and vandalised’

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church-of-the-transfiguration-on-mount-taborJerusalem – A church in Israel built where Christians believe the transfiguration of Jesus took place has been vandalised, with chalices stolen, icons damaged and a donation box robbed, an official said Tuesday.

Church officials believe the motive for Monday’s incident was robbery and not Jewish extremism, which has been blamed for previous vandalism at Christian sites in Israel, said Wadie Abunassar, a spokesman for bishops in the Holy Land.

Abunassar could not say how many chalices were stolen from the Basilica of the Transfiguration or how much money from the donation box had been taken. Communion bread had also been thrown on the ground.

No graffiti was painted on the church as usually occurs with vandalism by extremists, Abunassar said. A report has been made with police.

The church is located on Mount Tabor in the Galilee region of northern Israel, where Christians believe Jesus became radiant and spoke with Moses and Elijah.

Gospels in the Bible’s New Testament include the story.

Tourists and pilgrims regularly visit the church built on the site.

AFP

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6 responses to “Shrine to Jesus in Israel ‘robbed and vandalised’”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar

    “A report has been made with police.”
    USA donated enough money to cover these things.

    1. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      Why would US donate enough money to cover these “things”?
      I don’t trust US-Aipac, they did nothing for Christians in Palestine nor Iraq or Syria..au contraire.

  2. O'Matrix Avatar
    O’Matrix

    Many churches across Europe, have been “Cleared” from many chalices.
    The chalices and other artifacts were stolen from many churches, I wouldn’t be surprise if that it is the same theft league.

    Police investigations have established that the thefts are carried out by professional teams who know the values of the stolen items.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar

      What they need to do is inspect the ‘fences’ and find who’s private museum they were sent to.
      Who knows? They might even come up with that ‘Holy Grail’ eventually. 😉
      (much harder to melt down, maybe)
      (need authentication from the original owner/maker, of course.)

      1. O'Matrix Avatar
        O’Matrix

        Do you believe in the ‘Holy Grail’?

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar

          I read the books on it … some bits are possible … even progeny from a ‘marriage’.
          But not really. I’d believe more, that humans can work tales around secrets.
          And that a particular ‘cup’ from a restaurant survives intact for that long is really far-fetched, wouldn’t you agree? Might find some from a ‘dig’ … does it have finger-prints?
          Hell, even had trouble keeping a ‘formal’ set of dishes intact over 40 years.

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