Christ statue in Lebanon restored by Italian peacemakers, media

Italian UNIFIL contingent soldiers and members of the Christian community of Debel in southern Lebanon stand by a recently installed statue of Christ. Photo: Debel Alerts on Facebook

In the Lebanese Christian village of Debbel, where a statue of the Savior had previously been desecrated, a new crucifix was installed with the participation of Italian peacemakers from the UN contingent, report local media.

This concerns a sculpture that was damaged after a video spread on social media showing an Israeli serviceman striking the image of the crucified Christ. Later, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed the authenticity of the recording and acknowledged their soldier's involvement.

After the incident, the Israeli side also provided a replacement for the destroyed statue, however, according to reports, it was smaller in size and did not correspond to the original appearance. In turn, the crucifix provided by the Italian peacemakers, as noted, more accurately reproduces the lost image.

The blessing of the restored crucifix was performed by the Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that after the desecration of the Christ statue in Lebanon, Israel installed a new one.

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