The police prevented Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the parish priest from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher when they intended to celebrate Palm Sunday mass
Israel stated this Sunday (29) that the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will have immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcherafter the police prevented him from celebrating Palm Sunday mass there, citing security reasons.
The patriarch’s blockade, something unprecedented for centuries, occurred on the day that marks the beginning of Holy Week for the Catholic Church and was condemned by European Union (EU) diplomat Kaja Kallas, who denounced a “violation of religious freedom”.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu reversed the measure.
“I have instructed the competent authorities to grant Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa full and immediate access to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem,” the prime minister wrote in X.
The Latin Patriarchate, a Catholic diocese with faithful in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus, reported that the police prevented Pizzaballa and the parish priest from entering at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher when they intended to celebrate Palm Sunday mass.
“As a result, and for the first time in centuries, Church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,” says a statement from the Patriarchate.
“This incident sets a serious precedent and demonstrates a lack of consideration for the sensitivity of billions of people around the world who, during this week, turn their eyes to Jerusalem”, highlighted the Latin Patriarchate.
Since war broke out in the Middle East on February 28, Israeli authorities have banned large gatherings, including those scheduled for synagogues, churches and mosques. Public events are limited to 50 people.
But Netanyahu explained that, in recent days, the Iran “repeatedly attacked the holy sites of the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles”and that, in one of these cases, “fragments fell meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher”.
The prime minister indicated that he went to protect the faithful to “temporarily refrain” from visiting religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.
*AFP
