The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) helped a Catholic village in southern Lebanon replace a crucifix that was destroyed by one of its soldiers with a hammer and punished two soldiers who participated in the desecration.
“In full coordination with the local community of Debel in southern Lebanon, the damaged statue was replaced by IDF soldiers,” the Israeli military announced in a post on Twitter on April 21.
“The Northern Command worked to coordinate the replacement of the statue since the incident was reported,” he said. “The IDF deeply regrets this incident and is working to ensure that it does not happen again in the future.”
The reaction comes after a photo circulated on social media showing an Israeli soldier hitting a hammer on the face of Jesus Christ on a damaged crucifix. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, called the act “a grave insult to the Christian faith.”
In a separate postThe IDF confirmed that the soldier depicted with the sledgehammer and the soldier who took the photo would receive 30 days of military detention and be removed from combat duty.
According to the IDF, six other IDF members were present and did not take action or report the incident. Those troops were called in for “clarification discussions” and further action may be taken.
The IDF investigation revealed that the conduct of the soldiers involved “grossly deviated from the orders and values ​​of the IDF”.
According to the IDF: “Procedures regarding conduct with religious institutions and symbols were reinforced for soldiers prior to their entry into the respective areas and will be reinforced again for all soldiers in the area following the incident.”
The post said the chief of the General Staff “condemned the incident and called it unacceptable conduct and moral failure, which far exceeds any acceptable standard and contradicts IDF values ​​and the expected conduct of its soldiers.”
In a statement Speaking through the Congregation of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land on April 20, Pizzaballa said even amid the destruction of the statue, “the cross remains invincible in its meaning.”
“As St. Paul the Apostle declares, ‘Far be it from me, except through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, glory is gone’ (Gal 6:14),” their statement read. “For believers, the cross endures as a source of dignity, hope and salvation and as a call to overcome violence through sacrificial love.”
