This is a breaking news from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem
Israeli soldiers shoot at our bishop of
Nazareth Msgr. Boulos Marcuzzo
On January 9 at 3 pm our Patriarchal Vicar in Nazareth for Israel Msgr. Boulos. Marcuzzo was going from Nazareth to visit one of our old-sick priests in the village of Zababdeh inside the occupied territories. He was in his diplomatic car with the official Vatican flag accompanied by two of our priests Fr. Elie Kurzum, his secretary, and Fr. Elias Odeh, parish priest of Shefa Amer. When they arrived to the checkpoint before Zababdeh near Bezeq Israeli military camp, the soldiers pointed their guns on his car and asked them not to continue or go out of the car, and refused to even hear them, he stopped aside and tried to speak with the soldiers from his car far away from the soldiers but instead of hearing them the DB fired three bullets: one above the car, another down the car and the third near the car. Thank God that nobody was hurt. When the Bishop saw this he turned the car and returned back from the same bypass road. Up the hill he stopped nearby another checkpoint and spoke with a commander who apologized and told him that he will accompany them another time to the same road and let them pass without any problem. The bishop told the commander to tell these soldiers that he will return back within one hour after the visit. And he promised to do that. In fact after the visit of this old-sick priest in the village they retuned from the same road and stopped at the same checkpoint but the soldiers refused him the passage and pointed their guns on his car. Without any comments or discussion he returned back to the village and took another far away bypass road making several difficult kilometres to return sane and safe to Nazareth. We ask ourselves: if this happens now with such high rank personality what could happen every day and night to our simple common people?
Thank you for your understanding and good use of this news
Fr. Raed Abusahlia
Chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem