Israeli police prevented senior Catholic leaders from marking Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, church officials said, a move they described as happening ‘for the first time in centuries’ and blamed on security concerns tied to the conflict with Iran.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the head of the Custody of the Holy Land were stopped from carrying out a public celebration at the site venerated by Christians as the place of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody said in a joint statement that the two clerics continued privately without any ceremonial procession and were ‘compelled to turn back.’
The church leaders called the decision ‘a grave precedent’ that they said disrespects the feelings of billions who look to Jerusalem during Holy Week, describing the police action as ‘a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.’
Israeli police said all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City have been closed to worshippers since the start of the conflict with Iran. The force told AFP that the patriarch’s request was reviewed and denied because the Old City and its holy sites are a complex area that limits access for large emergency and rescue vehicles, which, they said, would significantly hamper response capabilities and could pose a real risk to human life in the event of a mass-casualty incident.
The Latin Patriarchate noted the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been hosting masses that are not open to the public since the hostilities began on February 28. ‘It’s a very, very sacred day for Christians, and in our opinion, there was no justification for such a decision or such an action,’ said Farid Jubran, the Latin Patriarchate’s spokesperson.
Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, begins Holy Week for Christians who follow the Latin calendar and leads up to Easter.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied any ‘malicious intent,’ saying police acted out of heightened safety concerns and that authorities were planning to enable church leaders to worship at the site in the coming days.
The decision drew international criticism. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called it ‘an insult not only to the faithful, but also to every community recognizing freedom of worship.’ Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Israel’s ambassador to Italy would be summoned to explain the move. The United States called the incident ‘an unfortunate overreach,’ and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said the proposed prayer was well below Israel’s 50-person limit for gatherings, calling it difficult to understand barring the patriarch from a private ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the action added to a troubling rise in ‘violations of the status of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem’ and stressed that the free exercise of worship in the city must be guaranteed for all religions. Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned the move as a ‘flagrant violation’ and urged an end to restrictions on worshippers’ access to holy sites.
Edited by: Rana Taha