FRANCISCANS REQUEST USG ASSISTANCE PROTECTING

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000245 SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA. NSC FOR SHAPIRO/PASCUAL E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2024 TAGS: KWBG PGOV PREL PTER PHUM KPAL IS SUBJECT: FRANCISCANS REQUEST USG ASSISTANCE PROTECTING CATHOLIC PROPERTIES REF: 08 JERUSALEM 1758 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, per reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary. The Franciscan (Catholic) Custos of the Holy Land reported vandalism against a monastery on Mount Zion and requested USG assistance to protect Jerusalem's Christian holy sites. A representative of the Custos told PolOff vandals accessed the monastery from the neighboring Cenacle complex (see background in paras 4-5),and the Franciscans believe students at the yeshiva in that complex are the perpetrators. In the most recent act of vandalism on January 30, someone broke a stone cross off the top of the monastery. (Note: Photos of vandalism at the monastery can be found on the ConGen's classified website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/jerusalem/ind ex.cfm by clicking on the link for Political Reporting Attachments. End note.) End Summary. ¶2. (C) Father Athanasius Macora, Head of the Christian Information Center and a representative of the Custos of the Holy Land, briefed PolOff on February 2 about a series of acts of vandalism against the monastery on Mount Zion. Macora said that vandals broke a stone cross off the top of the Franciscan monastery on January 30, adjacent to the Cenacle complex. Other incidents include throwing stones through windows and tossing heavy metal objects over the wall into the monastery's courtyard. Macora said that all acts of vandalism have originated from the Cenacle complex, which houses a yeshiva, and he suspects students at the yeshiva are the perpetrators. The person who broke the stone cross apparently used a ladder from the yeshiva rooftop to access the monastery. ¶3. (C) Macora said the Franciscans reported the vandalism to the Israeli police, but he does not expect a response. Macora said that vandalism has damaged church property, caused stress to the monks living there, and strained an already fragile relationship with the yeshiva. He asked for USG assistance to protect this and other Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. BACKGROUND ON THE CENACLE AND FRANCISCAN MONASTERY ON MOUNT ZION -------------- ¶4. (U) The Cenacle is the purported site of the Last Supper. The building contains the Cenacle room, the Room of the Holy Spirit, and a cenotaph associated with King David. It is part of a former Franciscan monastery. The site housed one of the earliest Christian churches in Jerusalem, and has been razed and rebuilt at least twice. The Franciscans acquired the property in 1342 and established a monastery, but were forced out by the Ottomans in 1552. The complex served as a mosque until the mid-twentieth century and contains Muslim symbols and a Muslim cemetery. The GoI took control of the property after 1967 and a yeshiva was established there in ¶1975. Many Jews consider King David's cenotaph a holy site. ¶5. (C) The Franciscans have a monastery in an adjacent building in order to maintain a presence on Mount Zion, and it is this monastery that is being vandalized. The Franciscans claim continuous ownership of the site since 1342, in spite of not having control of it since 1552. The Custos of the Holy Land has complained to the GoI that the yeshiva is removing Christian symbols from the Cenacle complex that undermine the Franciscan claim to the site (reftel). Franciscan contacts have said that vandalism threatens to eliminate Mount Zion's historic Christian nature. WALLES