Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem would regain immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
“I have instructed the competent authorities to grant Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa […] un accès total et immédiat à la basilique du Saint-Sépulcre à Jérusalem », a écrit M. Nétanyahou sur le réseau X.
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem was prevented by Israeli police from celebrating Palm Sunday mass, which opens Holy Week, provoking indignant reactions abroad. Mr. Netanyahu cited security reasons, in the context of the war in the Middle East.
“In recent days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles,” he wrote.
“During a strike, fragments of missiles crashed a few meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” he said.
It is therefore for security reasons that Israel “asked the faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims to “temporarily refrain” from going to the holy places of the Old City, maintained the Prime Minister.
« Depuis des siècles »
“For the first time in centuries, the leaders of the Church were prevented from celebrating Mass,” lamented earlier in the day a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Custos Francesco Ielpo “were stopped on the way and forced to turn back,” added the text, describing this act as “a serious precedent” testifying to “a lack of consideration towards the sensitivity of billions of people around the world who, during this week, turn their gaze towards Jerusalem.”
At the start of the offensive led with the United States against Iran on February 28, the Israeli authorities banned large gatherings, including in synagogues, churches and mosques, notably that of Al-Aqsa – the third holiest site in Islam — during the holy month of Ramadan, and limited public gatherings to around 50 people.
The police justified their decision by the configuration of the Old Town and the holy places, “a complex area” not allowing rapid access to help in the event of an attack, which poses “a real risk for human lives”.
In mid-March, debris from missiles and interceptors fell in the Old City, particularly near Al-Aqsa and the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, after Iranian shots.
“There was absolutely no malicious intent, only the concern to guarantee the security” of the cardinal, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X, before the Prime Minister reversed his decision.
“Offense”
The President of the Italian Council Giorgia Meloni denounced “an offense not only for believers, but for any community that recognizes religious freedom”, and Rome announced the summons on Monday of the Israeli ambassador to Italy.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the “decision of the Israeli police, which adds to the worrying multiplication of violations of the status of the Holy sites of Jerusalem”, with Madrid deploring for its part “an attack unjustified attack on religious freedom.”
Palm Sunday, which opens Holy Week, commemorates Christ’s final ascent to Jerusalem, where he was received by a jubilant crowd a few days before his crucifixion and his resurrection on Easter morning.
According to 2023 estimates from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Christians represented more than 18% of the population of the Holy Land (a region that includes Jordan in addition to Israel and the Palestinian Territories) at the creation of Israel in 1948, but they are now less than 2%, mostly Orthodox.
Amman denounced a “blatant violation” of the “current legal and historical status quo” and called for an end to “measures hindering the access of the faithful to their places of worship.”
The Latin Patriarchate had canceled the traditional Palm Sunday procession, which usually leaves from the Mount of Olives to reach Jerusalem and attracts thousands of faithful each year.
Palestinian Christians then gathered at the Saint-Sauveur monastery to celebrate.
For Simon Hosh, 25, it is “a shame” to have to limit the celebrations, “because there are a lot of people who come from all over the world to celebrate this Sunday in the streets.”
Pope Leo
“War will not erase the Resurrection […] In this land which continues to wait for peace, we are called to be witnesses of a love which never gives up,” responded Cardinal Pizzaballa on Sunday evening.
