Overview
- This Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, blocked by police Sunday with the Franciscan custodian, was turned back from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in what church authorities called the first such Palm Sunday denial in centuries.
- The Israeli police said the Old City’s holy places are closed because of the Iran war, citing a lack of bomb‑shelter protection, hard-to-reach alleys for ambulances, and current limits on gatherings to about 50 people.
- Following Sunday’s outcry, Italy summoned Israel’s ambassador and leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez condemned the move, while Israel’s President Isaac Herzog expressed regret and pointed to rocket threats.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later ordered “unrestricted and immediate access” for Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and said security agencies would enable services for top clerics, though broader restrictions remain in force.
- The closures have also curtailed Jewish and Muslim access in the Old City, and with public worship scaled back, many Easter-week liturgies are proceeding without crowds as authorities weigh security against the long‑standing status quo at sacred sites.