The Vatican's Custody of the Holy Land demanded the attorney general and state prosecutor charge the leader of the far-right Israeli group Lehava, Benzi Gopstein, with incitement for calling for churches in Israel to be torched.

An indictment was necessary "out of consideration of the public interest and of the present danger to churches and Christian communities in the country, and the real concern of further harm to them as a result of this incitement," the Custody's representative, Attorney Farid Joubran, wrote in a letter to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan.

The Custody is an institution of the Franciscan Order in charge of tending to Christian shrines in Israel and in the West Bank. Its head is appointed with the approval of the Pope and the Holy See.

The Custody also criticized Weinstein for not presenting charges following an investigation into the group, conducted by Israeli security authorities. "This procrastination could be interpreted by someone as flaccidity by law enforcement officials, if not a seal of approval for the racist provocation from Lehava.

"This isn't a time for procrastination, delays and helplessness! This is a time for determined and uncompromising action by law enforcement authorities under your leadership. The writing is on the wall, and a cost to human life, with consequences which cannot be foretold, isn't a question of if but of when," the letter read.

The letter was referring to statements Gopstein made in a panel held for yeshiva students in Jerusalem last week, where in response to a question as to whether he “is in favor of burning churches in the Land of Israel,” Gopstein answered, “Did the Rambam [Maimonides] rule to destroy [idol worship] or not? Idol worship must be destroyed. It’s simply yes – what’s the question?”

When the panel moderator warned him the panel was being filmed, and that if the recording should get to the police he would be arrested, Gopstein replied, “That’s the last thing that concerns me. If this is truth, I’m prepared to sit in jail 50 years for it.”

Gopstein responded to the Custody's letter, criticizing what he termed as the Vatican's intervention in halakhic discussions.

"It's time to remind the Vatican that the time of the censorship when they censored Jewish books is gone. Keep your hands away from Torat Yisrael," he wrote on Facebook.

The Custody's letter marks a step up in the Vatican's response to Gopstein's remarks, after the heads of the Catholic Church in Israel filed a complaint against the Lehava leader with the police over the weekend.

The complaint, filed by a committee which includes over 20 bishops and archbishops in Israel, voiced deep concern over the recent increase in hate crime and attacks against Christian holy sites, and noted that while almost no arrests have been made, Gopstein was making public statements in favor of such acts.

Senior officials in the Catholic Church told Haaretz the complaint was filed in coordination with the Vatican, which has been appraised of Gopstein's statements.

Weinstein and Nitzan's offices confirmed they received the Custody's letter.