The bishops of England and Wales have asked the Israeli authorities to take "urgent action" against vandals who targeted a Trappist monastery in Latrun in Israel.

Last Tuesday monks found the door had been burned and "Jesus is a monkey" daubed on a wall.

Bishop Declan Lang, chairman of the bishops' conference's International Affairs Department, said in a statement that the attack was "the latest example of a disturbing pattern in which Christian and Muslim sites are being targeted by extremists or settlers within Israeli society."

He said the vandalism "stands in stark contrast to the views of most Israelis".

Catholic bishops based in the Holy Land issued a statement asking: "What is going on in Israeli society today that permits Christians to be scapegoated and targeted by these acts of violence?"

Above: A worker sweeps in front of the burnt door next to graffiti on a wall at the Trappist monastery in Latrun, outside Jerusalem. Photo: CNS/Baz Ratner, Reuters