Patriarch condemns church attacks

Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal is speaking out against vandalism attacks on churches ahead of the Pope's visit to the Holy Land.

There've been 14 such attacks by suspected far-right Israelis reported in the past year.

In the most recent, last week in East Jerusalem, a death threat was daubed in Hebrew.

Twal, the Holy Land's Roman Catholic cleric, says the attacks are damaging.

(SOUNDBITE)(English) LATIN PATRIARCH FOUAD TWAL SAYING:

"The unrestrained acts of vandalism poison the atmosphere: first of all poison the atmosphere of co-existence, and atmosphere of collaboration, especially in these two weeks prior to the visit of Pope Francis."

On the same day in Jerusalem Israelis and Israeli Arabs protested against the attacks outside the Prime Minister's house.

(SOUNDBITE)(English) DINA, PROTESTER, SAYING:

"We need to go forward with this so these terrible, inciteful, actions that are being done against different portions of the population have