(CNSNews.com) -- After two Israeli radicals reportedly attacked a bishop and two priests during a religious service on March 19 at the Church of Gethsemane in East Jerusalem, the Patriarch of Jerusalem issued a statement condemning the "atrocious terrorist crime" and emphasized that attacks by "radical Israeli groups" against Christian properties "have become almost a daily occurrence."

The Church of Gethsmane in East Jerusalem is the location of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, the site where Orthodox, Catholics, and Christians of other denominations believe the Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven at the time of her death.

In his statement, Theophilos III, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, condemned the "heinous terrorist attack that took place this morning during the Sunday service, at the hands of two Israeli radicals, which targeted the Church of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, where the Tomb of the Virgin Mary lies."

He also denounced "the attempt to cause physical harm to Archbishop Joachim, who was leading the service, as well as the attack on one of the priests in the church."

"The Patriarchate deplores this atrocious crime, which came at the time of Lent preparations for the Easter celebrations and its traditional rituals, especially Holy Light Saturday, which has become a marker of seasonal suffering for Christians as a result of physical restrictions imposed by the authorities to prevent them from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to exercise their God-given right to worship," said Theophilus III.

"The Patriarchate also emphasises that terrorist attacks, by radical Israeli groups, targeting churches, cemeteries, and Christian properties, in addition to physical and verbal abuse against Christian clergy, have become almost a daily occurrence that evidently increases in intensity during Christian holidays," he said.

"This dismal situation hasn’t drawn any appropriate reaction, locally or internationally, despite appeals, requests, and protests made by the Churches of the Holy Land," said the Patriarch. "It is painfully clear now that the authentic Christian presence in the Holy Land is in great danger."

He continued, "The Patriarchate affirms that attacks on Christian holy sites, properties, heritage, and identity constitute a violation of international law, which explicitly calls for the protection of religious sites in Jerusalem and emphasises the need to respect this basic human right to worship freely." 

"Jerusalem is a city extremely important for all Christians since the time of Jesus Christ," he added. "The Holy City is a witness to the most significant events in Christian history, that are deeply rooted in the Christian faith."

The Patriarch also called "upon the international community to intervene immediately to provide security and protection to the Christians of Jerusalem." He further demanded "that the necessary legal measures be taken against all those involved in terrorist crimes against any holy site."

As CNSNews.com and other media have reported, there have been numerous attacks against Christian churches, cemeteries, and clergy in Jerusalem by radical Israelis. 

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the attack on the Church of Gethsemane in East Jerusalem. 

In a March 24 statement, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said, "We are convinced that there is no justification, and that there can never be any justification, for such criminal acts, and hope that the Israeli authorities will provide an unequivocal assessment of what happened and to take comprehensive measures to bring perpetrators to justice and prevent the recurrence of such attacks in the future."

"The number of anti-Christian incidents has grown at an alarming pace recently, as churches, cemeteries of various Christian denominations, clergy and monks have become targets for these attacks," said Zakharova.

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2022, about 182,000 Christians were living in Israel, which is about 1.9% of the State of Israel's population. "75.8% of the Christians in Israel are Arab Christians," said the CBS. "They constitute 6.9% of the total Arab population of Israel."

In the City of Jerusalem there are approximately 15,800 Christians. 

Fr. Franceso Patton, the Catholic Church’s Custos of the Holy Land and guardian of the Christian holy places in the Holy Land, wrote in a December 2021 commentary that, "Holy Land Christians are at threat of extinction." 

He said the lives of many Christians are made “unbearable by radical local groups with extremist ideologies.”

“It seems that their aim is to free the Old City of Jerusalem from its Christian presence, even the Christian quarter,” said Fr. Patton.

Fr. Patton stressed that these attacks are not condoned by the Israeli government but are carried out by extremist elements in Jerusalem. “These radical groups do not represent the government or the people of Israel," he said. "But as with any extremist faction, a radical minority can too easily burden the lives of many, especially if their activities go unchecked and their crimes are unpunished.”