His police prevented the Latin Patriarch and the head of the Franciscans in the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to perform the Palm Sunday service, “for the first time in centuries,” the Latin Patriarchate said.
“They were blocked for the 1st time in ages”
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Father Francesco Ielpo, were blocked en route while they were proceeding privately, without a procession or any element of ritual, and were forced to turn back, according to a joint statement by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land.
“They were forced to return”
As a result, “for the first time in centuries, Church leaders were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which sets a serious precedent, ignoring the sensitivity of billions of people around the world who, this week, are turning to Jerusalem,” the statement said.
The ban by the Israeli police on the access of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to the church of the Holy Sepulcher to preside over the Palm Sunday service was dictated by “security” reasons and did not come from any “malicious intent”, according to the Israeli prime minister.
“Today, due to the particular concern for his safety, the Jerusalem police prevented the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pizzaballa, from presiding at the service in the church of the Holy Sepulcher. There was absolutely no malicious intent, only the concern to ensure his protection,” the office of the Israeli prime minister wrote on Platform X.
“However, as Holy Week begins for Christians around the world, Israeli security forces are working on a plan to allow religious officials to pray (at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher) in the coming days,” he added.
The Holy Sepulcher has been closed since the day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran
The Holy Sepulcher, along with the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque remain closed to the public from the end of February 2026 due to the war.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is an important center and reference point of Christianity. Its custody is shared between the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches.
