Israeli police prevent cardinal from entering Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Palm Mass: ‘First time in centuries’

A person walks near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher REUTERS/Ammar Awad Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher “for the first time in centuries”, the Patriarchate said, citing security concerns related to the war with Iran. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo were approached by police as they walked towards the church, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, reported the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. “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,” it said in a statement. Israeli police said all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City – including those sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews – have been closed to worshipers since the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, particularly sites without bomb shelters. “The Old City and sacred sites constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles, which represents a significant challenge to response capacity and a real risk to human life in the event of a multi-casualty incident,” police said. See the videos that are trending on g1 Restrictions affect Easter, Ramadan and Pesach Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most important week in the Christian calendar, which precedes Easter. The Old Town is usually busy, with Roman Catholics passing through the imposing wooden doors of the Holy Sepulchre. This year, Christians, Muslims and Jews were unable to celebrate Easter, Ramadan or Passover as usual due to police restrictions. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was practically empty during Ramadan, and few worshipers attended the Western Wall, a sacred site for Judaism, as Passover approached on Wednesday. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the police action, saying in a statement that denying entry to religious leaders “constitutes an offense not only to the faithful, but to all communities that recognize religious freedom.” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on social media that he would summon the Israeli ambassador to provide clarification on the incident. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Israeli police’s decision, which, according to him, “adds to the worrying increase in violations of the statute of the Holy Places in Jerusalem.” Spokespeople for the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately comment. The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment. On Sunday, Pope Leo XIII asserted that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood”, in unusually blunt statements, as the war with Iran entered its second month. Residents say supervision does not apply to everyone Residents of Cidade Velha and religious authorities stated that police restrictions on religious worship were not applied consistently. They noted that Muslim Waqf preachers were able to access Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, and that cleaning staff were allowed to remove prayer inscriptions from the Western Wall, an annual ritual, before Passover. On Sunday, Franciscan friars and faithful were also allowed into another Old City sanctuary, a short walk through the narrow alleys of the Old City from the Holy Sepulchre, to celebrate Palm Sunday. A Reuters photograph showed about a dozen people bowing their heads in prayer and carrying palm branches. Farid Jubran, spokesman for the Patriarchate, said police had been informed that the mass would be held privately and behind closed doors. “But even so, despite this communication, they insisted on acting this way,” he said.

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