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Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher and other major holy sites were closed on Palm Sunday under Israeli wartime restrictions, disrupting one of Christianity’s most sacred observances as the Iran war entered its fifth week.
The Catholic Church rebuked the police decision as a “clearly unfair and extremely disproportionate measure”.
Israeli police expressed regret at war restrictions limiting worship and acknowledged the need to “balance freedom” with “public safety”.
“Under instructions from the Home Front Command, life-saving restrictions apply to all holy sites in the Old City – for Jews, Christians and Muslims,” Israeli police said in a video statement posted to X, responding to outrage over religious freedom. “The Old City has been targeted several times this month with deadly missiles, as well as continued shelling of residential areas.”
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Issa Kassieh, a Christian popularly known as the city’s Santa Claus, stood with a cross and a palm leaf in his hand after the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were found closed following the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives. (Ammar Awad/Reuters)
The statement further said, “These threats do not discriminate between religions, nor do we have a duty to protect you.” “We are having active conversations with religious leaders, including an upcoming meeting with the Patriarch to examine solutions that balance freedom of worship with public safety.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Father Francesco Ilpo were stopped by Israeli police as they tried to reach the church in private to celebrate Mass after the traditional Palm Sunday procession had already been canceled, the Latin Patriarchate said.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog called on the banned worshipers to “express our deep sorrow over this morning’s unfortunate incident.”
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The Italian government rebuked it, calling it a “crime” on “religious freedom” in the Holy Land.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, held a prayer service to mark Palm Sunday after the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives was canceled amid restrictions on gathering in large groups and the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. (Ammar Awad/Pool)
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote in a statement, “The Italian government expresses its closeness to Cardinal Pizzaballa, Father Ilpo and the religious people who have been prevented today by the Israeli authorities from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulcher.” “The Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem is a sacred place of Christianity, and must be protected and preserved for the celebration of the Holy Sacraments. To prevent the entry of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and Defender of the Holy Land, into a celebration central to the faith such as Palm Sunday, is a crime not only to the faithful, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom.”
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The Latin Patriarchate said the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been hosting Masses that have not been open to the public since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, and it was not clear why the Sunday Mass and access to the two priests were different.
“This is a very holy day for Christians and in our opinion there was no justification for such a decision or such an action,” said Farid Jubran, a spokesman for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
He said the church had requested the police to allow some religious leaders to enter the church for a private prayer meeting on Sunday – a church which was not open to the public.
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Pope Leo XIV prayed at the end of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square for all Christians in the Middle East, who he said were living through an “atrocious” conflict. “In many cases, they cannot fully live the sacraments of these holy days,” he said, though he did not elaborate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday evening that there was no “malicious intent” and that the cardinal was prevented from accessing the church due to security concerns, but that Israel would try to partially reopen the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
“Given the sanctity of the week before Easter for the world’s Christians, Israel’s security forces are planning to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days,” Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.
The Western Wall, a holy site for Jews, is also mostly closed for security reasons, but officials are allowing up to 50 people at a time to pray in an enclosed area adjacent to the plaza.
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Small churches, synagogues and mosques in the Old City of Jerusalem are open if they are located within a certain distance of a bomb shelter acceptable to Israel’s military and, if gatherings are kept to less than 50 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
