Overview
- Israeli police blocked Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Custos Francesco Ielpo from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass on Sunday.
- Authorities said the stop was for safety because Iranian missile fragments recently fell near Old City holy sites and emergency vehicles struggle to reach the area’s narrow alleys.
- The Latin Patriarchate called the move a grave precedent that, for the first time in centuries, kept church leaders from Palm Sunday worship at Christianity’s holiest site.
- Following criticism from France, Italy and the U.S. ambassador, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered “full and immediate access,” and police said they were putting a limited prayer plan in place after talks with church representatives.
- Most wartime curbs on gatherings remain, and the Holy Sepulchre’s access is governed by 19th‑century “status quo” rules, which make any restriction carry outsized symbolic weight for Christians worldwide.