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Archbishop Joachim, who was leading a service at the time of the attack, met the visitors and described to them what happened. He said that the attack took place during mass, and while the service was underway in memory of a deceased local Christian.
Archbishop Joachim said that a person entered the church, looked in every direction, went out quickly, returned shortly with a bag in his hand, pulled out an iron rod, and tried to smash the icons.
The attacker was restrained by local Orthodox Christians who were present.
While those present said they heard the attacker speak in Hebrew, the Israeli police who arrested him later reported that he was a foreign tourist.
Archbishop Joachim said he is unaware of any follow-up by the police after the incident.
The visit was organized by the WCC Jerusalem Liaison Office and the Catholic Ecumenical Commission. Attending organizations were the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, Chemin Neuf Community, Focolare Movement, WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, and St Anne Church.
Those present from the WCC were Yusef Daher, Jerusalem Liaison Office coordinator; George Sahhar, advocacy officer; and two Ecumenical Accompaniers from Brazil and Argentina.
