Catholic leaders in Israel: IDF destruction of Jesus statue reveals ‘disturbing moral failure’

The leaders of the Catholic churches in Israel say that the destruction of a statue of Jesus by an IDF soldier in Lebanon reveals “a disturbing failure in moral and human formation.”

The church leaders express their “profound indignation and unreserved condemnation” for the act, saying in a written statement that “even the most elementary reverence for the sacred and for the dignity of others has been gravely compromised.”

The smashing of the statue “constitutes a grave affront to the Christian faith and adds to other reported incidents of desecration of Christian symbols by IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon,” they continue.

They call for “immediate and decisive disciplinary action, a credible process of accountability, and clear assurances that such conduct will neither be tolerated nor repeated.”