Israeli Military Attempts To Halt Catholic Marian Festival In West Bank, Until Cardinal Intervenes
Israeli military officials allegedly attempted to halt a Catholic Marian festival in honor of the Virgin Mary in a Christian village located in the West Bank on Friday, sources say.
Jason Jones, founder and president of the Vulnerable People Project (VPP), told the Daily Caller that VPP had witnessed an Israeli military vehicle enter the village of Taybeh in the early morning and order organizers preparing for the festival to leave the area.
“A permitted Catholic festival honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary was nearly shut down by armed military intervention before it even began,” Jones said.
VPP told the Caller that it had been stationed in Taybeh to document the festival as part of its Save West Bank Christians Campaign, following concerns that the annual celebration may have been the target of Israeli settlers encroaching on the Christian village.
Approximately 30 minutes later, another military vehicle appeared and delivered the same orders, VPP told the Caller.
The parish priest overseeing the festival, Fr. F, contacted church authorities immediately, until the matter reached Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. (Read more from “Israeli Military Attempts To Halt Catholic Marian Festival In West Bank, Until Cardinal Intervenes” HERE)
