Israeli police blocked Catholic officials from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate Mass on Palm Sunday, a Christian holiday, for the first time in centuries, declared the Latin patriarchy on Sunday.
Jerusalem’s main holy sites are closed due to the ongoing war with Iran, including this church, with the city frequently the target of Iranian missile strikes.
The Catholic Church called the police decision a “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.” She prevented two of the Church’s most senior religious leaders, including Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and marks the start of Holy Week celebrations for Christians who follow the Latin calendar, culminating in Easter next Sunday.
Israeli police said they informed the Catholic Church on Saturday that no mass could take place on Palm Sunday for security reasons, due to the inability for emergency vehicles to access the narrow streets of the Old City and the lack of shelter adequate.
However, the Latin Patriarchate said that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher had hosted masses not open to the public since the start of the war in Iran on February 28, and that it was not clear why Sunday’s mass and the access of the two priests were treated differently.
“It is a very, very sacred day for Christians and, in our opinion, nothing justified such a decision or such a measure,” said Farid Jubran, spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Mr. Jubran clarified that the church had requested authorization from the police so that some religious leaders could enter the church in order to celebrate a private mass on Sunday – and not a mass open to the public. The patriarchate declared that this decision violated to freedom of worship and the status quo in Jerusalem.
The traditional Palm Sunday procession usually brings together tens of thousands of Christians from around the world who descend from the Mount of Olives, singing and waving palm branches, along the narrow, hilly streets leading to the old city.
The patriarchate canceled the traditional procession last week for security reasons and celebrated masses limited to fewer than 50 worshipers, in accordance with Israeli army guidelines for civilians.
Bishop Pizzaballa celebrated Mass at the nearby Monastery of Saint-Sauveur, an imposing marble church located next to an underground music school that the Israeli army has designated as a safe haven. Later on Sunday, Bishop Pizzaballa led a prayer for peace at the Dominus Flevit sanctuary on the Mount of Olives, but focused his homily on Jesus without mentioning the morning’s incident.
At the end of Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV prayed for all Christians in the Middle East who, he said, are experiencing an “atrocious” conflict. He said that “in many cases they cannot fully experience the rites of these holy days,” without giving further details.
The Vatican spokesperson did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the Jerusalem incident.
The police measure was condemned by many political leaders.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is disappointed with the turn of events.
“These measures constitute a further violation of the long-standing status quo regarding Jerusalem’s holy sites,” he commented on X. “The faithful of all faiths in Jerusalem must be able to practice their religion freely, fully and without fear. I welcome the fact that President Herzog spoke with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to reaffirm this principle.”
Italy officially protested to the Israeli authorities against this incident. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the police intervention “constituted an offense not only against believers, but also against any community that recognizes religious freedom.”
“The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is a sacred place of Christianity and, as such, must be preserved and protected for the celebration of sacred rites,” Meloni said. Preventing the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering, especially on a central solemnity for the faith such as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offense not only against believers, but also against any community that recognizes religious freedom.”
Le président français Emmanuel Macron a exprimé sa réprobation.
“I provide my full support to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and to the Christians of the Holy Land, prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulcher,” he wrote on X. I condemn this decision of the Israeli police, which adds to the multiplication worrying about violations of the status of the Holy Places of Jerusalem. The free exercise of religion in Jerusalem must be guaranteed for all religions.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the police measure on Sunday, declaring that there was “no malicious intent”. The cardinal was denied access to the church for security reasons, but that Israel would work to partially open the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the coming days.
“Given the sanctity of the week leading up to Easter for Christians around the world, Israeli security services are developing a plan to allow religious leaders to worship at this sacred site in the coming days,” he said. Writes Mr. Netanyahu on X.
The Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, is also largely closed for security reasons, but authorities allow up to 50 people at a time to pray in a closed area adjacent to the square.
Small churches, synagogues and mosques are open in the Old City of Jerusalem if they are located within a certain distance from a bomb shelter deemed acceptable by the Israeli military and if gatherings do not exceed 50 people.
