SHAFAQNA- Young Israelis are increasingly targeting Christians with hate crimes as Israel’s far right gets more brazen.
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was taken by surprise when he learned that Pope Francis elevated him to the high rank of cardinal last month.
The archbishop, who recently warned against rising Israeli attacks on Christians in the birthplace of Christianity, interpreted it as “a sign of attention from the Church of Rome towards the Mother Church, the Church of Jerusalem”.
The nomination, the first extended to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since the patriarchal seat was re-established in 1847, is perceived as a clear statement by the Pope against rising Israeli violence in the Holy Land.
Source: middleeasteye