Jewish Authorities Ask Catholics to Take Down Welcome Sign for Pope Francis

As Catholics gear up for the Pope’s planned trip to the Holy Land on May 25-26, authorities in Jerusalem–fearing attacks by Jewish extremists–have asked that a “Welcome” banner featuring Pope Francis be taken down.

Police and the Shin Bet, the Israel Security Agency, have been concerned, according to Agence France-Presse, that Jewish extremists could increase attacks on Christian sites ahead of the pope’s arrival in an attempt to attract media attention. In the face of roiling tensions, municipal officials felt it necessary to ask a Franciscan center just inside the Old City walls to take down a large “Welcome” banner with a message to Pope Francis written in English, Arabic and Hebrew.

Several Christian churches–a total of 14 in the past year, according to Reuters–have been defaced.
And a death threat has been painted in Hebrew on East Jerusalem’s Assembly of Bishops at the Notre Dame Center, the site where Pope Francis is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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