Stone-throwing attack on Catholics in Israel shows a 'culture of contempt'

Gravel assault reveals rocky relationship between faiths

Catholic migrant workers from the Philippines attend Mass outside the Community of St. Therese Lisieux chapel in Rehovot, Israel. (Photo credit: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

An attack on Catholics attending Mass in the Israeli city of Rehovot by Jewish youth last month has created a rebuttal by Church authorities.

"It is sad that people in prayer, for [the] most part, women working in Rehovot Jewish homes, were the victims of a hail of stones," said Bishop William Hanna Shomali, an auxiliary bishop of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The Mass attendees were in the courtyard of a small chapel of the Community of St. Therese of Lisieux May 28 when the attack occurred, reported Catholic News Agency. The Catholic community of Rehovot, located 30 miles northwest of Jerusalem, is mainly composed of migrant workers from Africa, India, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, as well as university students.

The group of Jewish boys hurled stones at the congregation, hitting a few "although again thank the Lord no one was seriously hurt," the Saint James Vicariate for Hebrew-speaking Catholics reported.

The bishop noted certain Israeli circles held a "culture of contempt for others," and called for the need to "find solutions to cure society of radicalism and intolerance."

For the full story, see Catholic News Agency here.