World News for Students of English

22-06-2015 07:00

A fire has gutted part of the church where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000. The Israeli fire brigade has ruled this arson following the results of a preliminary investigation that showed the fire broke out in several places inside the church.

An eyewitness describes his memory of the scene.

“Early in this morning, I think 3:15 I heard a big loudly tone and I ran out from my room and I saw the main entrance for the monastery was burnt and I smelled it is benzine.”

Since 2009, there have been 43 hate crime attacks reported against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel and the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Staff at the monastery has vowed to repair the damage including the graffiti written in Hebrew script that reads “eradicate false Gods”.

“The residents of the monastery believe that we are not obliged to live together. We want to live together and we will not permit a small group of fanatics to disturb this peaceful life between the two peoples of this country. We will repair the place, and it will perhaps look better.”

The limestone Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes is on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was constructed in the 1980s and was built on the site of the 4th and 5th century churches that commemorates what Christians revere as one of Jesus’s miracle.

No damage was reported to the 5th century mosaic floors that had been restored in the church.

Difficult words: gut (to destroy completely the internal parts of a building), rule (to say officially that something is the case), arson (the crime of setting something on fire), preliminary (first), vow (to promise), eradicate (to destroy completely), be obliged to do something (to have to do something), permit (to let), limestone (a type of rock), revere (to respect).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com