Israeli Prime Minister allowed Pierbattista Pizzaballa access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher after police blocked the religious man’s entry
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered this Sunday (29 March 2026) that the police allow Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in Jerusalem, and authorize the holding of religious celebrations there. The decision came after Israeli police forces prevented the Latin Patriarch from entering the temple during Palm Sunday. The episode provoked reactions from governments in several countries, .
Israeli police forces had to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to perform Palm Sunday mass. The date marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian calendar. The religious man was stopped when he went to the temple, built on the site where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
Before the lockdown, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem had announced that the celebration would take place privately. The institution described the episode as unprecedented. “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 Sepulchre.”the Patriarchate said in a statement.
Netanyahu announced on his social networks that he had instructed authorities to guarantee access to the cardinal and allow religious services to take place.
“I have instructed the competent authorities to grant Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch, full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In recent days, Iran has repeatedly attacked the holy sites of the 3 monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one of the attacks, missile fragments fell just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. To protect the faithful, Israel asked members of all religions to temporarily refrain from attending the holy sites Christians, Muslims and Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem”declared the Prime Minister in (formerly Twitter).
Netanyahu also said that there was “noany malicious intent“, just “concern” with Pizzaballa. “Today, out of special concern for his safety, Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked not to celebrate Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. While I understand this concern, as soon as I became aware of the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to allow the Patriarch to hold religious celebrations as he wished.”.
International reactions
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement this Sunday afternoon (29 March 2026) condemning the action of the Israeli police.
“In noting the extreme gravity of such recent actions, contrary to the historical status quo of the Christian and Islamic holy sites of Jerusalem and the principle of freedom of worship, Brazil recalls the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of July 19, 2024, which concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and that that country is not entitled to exercise sovereignty in any part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”says the statement.
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, cited the impediment of the celebration of Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. “Netanyahu prevented Catholics from celebrating Palm Sunday at holy sites in Jerusalem. Without any explanation or justification. We condemn this unjustified attack on religious freedom and demand that Israel respect the diversity of beliefs and international law”wrote on X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also spoke out against the police action. She said in a statement that denying entry to religious leaders “It constitutes an offense not only to the faithful, but to all communities that recognize religious freedom.”
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Israeli police’s decision. According to him, the measure “adds to the worrying increase in violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem”.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said it is “very difficult to understand or justify” the cardinal’s ban on entering the church.
