An Israeli soldier destroyed a statue of Jesus Christ's crucifixion in a Catholic village in southern Lebanon, which prompted a criminal investigation by Israel and condemnations by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Catholic leaders.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on April 19 confirmed the authenticity of a photo on social media showing one of its soldiers using a sledgehammer to strike the face of Christ on the statue in the village of Debel, which is more than 95% Catholic and more than 99% Christian.
The photo shows that the statue was already damaged before the photo was taken, with Christ's body hanging upside down off of the cross, with only his feet connected to the wood. Photos do not show how the initial damage occurred prior to the soldier using the sledgehammer.
After confirming the authenticity of the photo, the IDF announced an investigation into the matter on its official X account. The IDF promised "appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings" and that the IDF is helping the community restore the statue.
"The IDF is operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols," the statement read.
Netanyahu said in a post on X he was "stunned and saddened" by the actions, and "I condemn the act in the strongest terms." He promised a criminal investigation and said military authorities "will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender."
"We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world," Netanyahu added.
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Catholic leaders condemn act
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, condemned the destruction of the statue as "a grave affront to the Christian faith" in a statement issued through the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, of which he is the president.
He said the assembly "expresses its profound indignation and unreserved condemnation of the desecration of a representation of Jesus crucified by an Israeli soldier in a Lebanese village" and warned the action "adds to other reported incidents of desecration of Christian symbols by IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon."
"It further reveals a disturbing failure in moral and human formation, wherein even the most elementary reverence for the sacred and for the dignity of others has been gravely compromised," Pizzaballa said.
The assembly called for "immediate and decisive disciplinary action, a credible process of accountability, and clear assurances that such conduct will neither be tolerated nor repeated."
Pizzaballa said that even amid the destruction of the statue, "the cross remains unassailable in its meaning."
"As St. Paul the Apostle declares, 'far be it from me to glory except in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ' (Gal 6:14)," the statement read. "For believers, the cross endures as a source of dignity, hope, and redemption, and as a summons to overcome violence through sacrificial love."
Pizzaballa said "it is precisely in this light that the Church continues to proclaim that true peace cannot be born of violence" and quoted Pope Leo XIV, who cited the words of Christ in Matthew 26:52, that true peace must remain "unarmed… a peace that calls to 'put [the] sword back into its sheath.'"
"For this reason, the assembly renews, with urgency, its call to bring to an end the war that has tormented this region for far too long, and to embrace a path where peace is witnessed in restraint, dialogue, responsibility, and reverence for the sacred and for every human life," Pizzaballa concluded.
Catholic villages in the south
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a 10-day ceasefire on April 16, but the IDF remains stationed throughout much of the land south of the Litani River, which includes the Catholic villages of Debel, Rmeish, and Ain Ebel.
Most people in southern Lebanon are Shia Muslim, but the region includes Sunni villages and Christian villages and religiously mixed villages.
More than 1 million people fled their homes, but about 150,000 people — including Catholics — stayed in southern Lebanon despite Israeli evacuation orders over fears they may not have been allowed back if they left. Some people have returned to their homes during the ceasefire.
Catholic organizations have provided shelter and aid to those displaced and those who remain in the south throughout the war. Less than two weeks ago, a Vatican humanitarian convoy was caught in the crossfire between Israeli and Hezbollah forces.
Early in the war, a Catholic priest named Father Pierre al-Rahi was killed in Israeli strikes. The Lebanon Ministry of Health has confirmed at least 2,294 deaths during the conflict.
