Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from celebrating Palm Sunday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher “for the first time in centuries“, reported the Patriarchate, while the police alleged security reasons related to the war with Iran.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo were approached by police while on their way to church, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the deads, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
“As a consequence, and for the first time in centuries, the highest officials of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre”he said in a statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “There was no malicious intent, just concern for his (Pizzaballa’s) safety and that of his group”. He assured that preparations were being made to allow church leaders to hold worship in the church in the coming days.
Israeli police said all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City – including those sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews – had remained closed to worshipers since the start of the war. between the United States and Israel against Iran, particularly those places that lacked bomb shelters.
The police said they had rejected a request from the Patriarchate to obtain an exemption for Palm Sunday.
“The Old City and the sacred places constitute a complex area that does not allow access to large emergency and rescue vehicles.which considerably hinders the response capacity and poses a real risk to human life in the event of a multiple casualty incident,” the police said.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most important week in the Christian calendar, which culminates with Easter. The Old City is usually very busy, with Roman Catholics passing through the huge wooden doors of the Holy Sepulchre.
This year, Christians, Muslims and Jews have not been able to celebrate Easter, Ramadan or Passover as usual due to police restrictions. Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque was virtually empty during Ramadan, and few worshipers have flocked to Judaism’s Western Wall as Passover approaches on Wednesday.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, criticized the police action and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on social media that he would summon Israel’s ambassador to discuss the incident.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the decision of the Israeli police which, according to him, “adds to the worrying increase in violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem.”
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said that Denying the patriarch entry to the church on Palm Sunday was “difficult to understand or justify.”
The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “blood on their hands.”in unusually forceful remarks as the Iran war entered its second month.
