JERUSALEM: Footage of an attack on a Catholic nun in Jerusalem shocked the world after it went viral this week, but for worshippers attending Sunday mass at Saint Stephen’s Basilica, it was described as just the latest example of growing religious hostility.
The incident took place on Tuesday and was captured on CCTV, showing a Jewish extremist pushing the nun to the ground before walking away and later returning to continue the assault. Bystanders eventually intervened to stop the attack.
As the congregation exited Sunday service, the incident remained a major topic of discussion, with many offering words of support for the French nun, who was not present at the service.
“She still has pains” but she is “surrounded by support,” said the priest who led the service, Olivier Catel.
When Catel first arrived in Jerusalem more than a decade ago, such incidents were rare. He said that about once a year, “when I went out in my habit, people — usually ultra-orthodox Jews — would spit behind our back.”
“We never paid attention because they were isolated incidents,” he said. However, over the past three to four years, he added, the situation has changed significantly.
“When we go out, people spit next to us,” he said, describing it as a near-daily occurrence.
The Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organisation focused on inter-religious dialogue, has documented what it describes as “growing harassment” of Christians in Israel and east Jerusalem, according to a study released in March.
Throughout 2025, the centre recorded 61 physical attacks, including spitting, pepper spray use, and physical assaults. It also documented 28 cases of verbal harassment and 52 incidents of damage to church property.
A British priest, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that such incidents occur frequently, saying he never leaves his residence without his clerical robes and is often met with spitting or shouts of “go home!”
‘He should be killed’
“Everyone said this would happen some day,” said Pierre, a 30-year-old parishioner, who said he was “not surprised” by the attack and feared escalation if the situation is not addressed.
On the day of the attack, Pierre said a priest he knows was in a supermarket when a man stopped in front of him and told his son in Hebrew, “he should be killed.”
“If nothing is done… someone will take that step,” he warned. The attack took place near the Old City of Jerusalem, a sensitive flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, close to the Church of the Dormition.
A young Israeli witness described the attacker as “a madman,” saying he observed the incident from a distance.
Israeli media reports described the suspect as a far-right activist with a history of mental illness.
“It’s very shocking,” said Uriel Levisohn, a 28-year-old rabbi, expressing disbelief at how frequent such incidents have become.
“With God’s help, this will be the last time something like this happens here,” he added.
However, worshippers leaving the service expressed less optimism, saying they were awaiting a firm response from Israeli authorities.
They also pointed to what they described as increasingly “supremacist” rhetoric in the country, including from senior officials, and referenced previous incidents in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces are engaged in conflict with Hezbollah.
In one such incident, an Israeli soldier was filmed destroying a statue of Jesus.
Despite the growing tensions, Catel said he refuses to “live in fear.”
“I continue to go to the Old City in my robes,” he said, adding that while he avoids certain neighbourhoods, “overall, I haven’t changed my habits.”
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