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Israeli police prevented Catholic Church leaders from entering Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private Palm Sunday Mass on Monday, prompting criticism from the United States and European leaders and intensifying scrutiny of access restrictions tied to the war with Iran. The incident came as major holy sites in Jerusalem remain closed because of security concerns, including the risk of Iranian missile attacks.
According to the police, authorities approved what it described as a “limited prayer framework” for the Temple after consulting with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Police said the change aimed to “allow freedom of worship,” and argued that restrictions in holy sites without what it described as standard protected space—such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located inside closely packed Old City streets—were meant to “safeguard worshippers” from attacks.
The Latin Patriarchate disputed the police action. It said the decision was “a measure manifestly unreasonable and disproportionate” and said it prevented two of the church’s principal leaders from celebrating Palm Sunday at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified: the Latin patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custodian of the Holy Land.
Patriarchate spokesman Farid Jubran said the church had requested permission for only a few clergy members to enter for a private celebration, not a mass open to the public. “Es un día muy, muy sagrado para los cristianos y, en nuestra opinión, no había justificación para una decisión o una acción así”, Jubran said. He also said the patriarchate believed the outcome obstructed religious freedom and the established status quo in Jerusalem.
Police told church authorities on Saturday that no Palm Sunday Mass could be held, citing security considerations, the lack of vehicle access for emergency services through the narrow Old City lanes, and what it described as insufficient adequate shelter. The police also said the restrictions reflected a broader pattern of limits on large gatherings and movement in Jerusalem during the conflict.
The dispute played out against a backdrop of closures and tighter observance rules since late February. The patriarchate said the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had been hosting Masses closed to the public since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28, and it said it was not clear what differed about the limited Palm Sunday Mass and access for the two priests it sought to host.
Palm Sunday marks Christians’ commemoration of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem and launches Holy Week before Easter. The patriarchate canceled the traditional Palm Sunday procession last week over security concerns and has held limited Masses for fewer than 50 faithful under Israeli military guidelines for the civilian population. Pizzaballa instead celebrated Mass at a nearby monastery of San Salvador, an Italian-language account of the day said it is an area the Israeli military has described as a safe refuge, and later made a prayer for peace at the Dominus Flevit sanctuary on the Mount of Olives without mentioning the morning incident in his homily.
The closure sparked criticism abroad, including from the United States and France. U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee, a devout evangelical Christian, called the incident “unfortunate” and said the approved prayer was well below the 50-person limit for meetings, adding that it was “difficult to understand or justify” that the patriarch was prevented from entering the church for a private ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident, saying it reflected “a worrying increase in violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem,” and wrote on the social media platform X that “the free exercise of worship in Jerusalem must be guaranteed for all religions.” Italy’s government also protested, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saying the police conduct “constitutes an offense not only against believers, but against any community that recognizes religious freedom,” and saying Italy would seek clarification with Israel after the incident.
Netanyahu, speaking after the backlash, said he believed there was no “malicious intent” and that access was blocked for security reasons. He said Israel would work on a plan to allow partial access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the coming days for Church leaders to worship at the holy site. The Israeli leader said the plan was being prepared given the sacredness of the week leading to Easter.
Elsewhere in Jerusalem, authorities have also restricted access for security, including closing most of the Western Wall, the site considered most sacred for Jews, while allowing limited worship by up to 50 people at a time in an adjacent area. The same limits generally apply to smaller churches, synagogues and mosques in the Old City when they are within a distance of a shelter the Israeli military deems acceptable, and when gatherings remain under 50 people; similar constraints have applied across much of Israel, including closures of schools and work that depends on reaching a shelter quickly after an alert.
When asked for comment, the Vatican spokesman did not respond. Pizzaballa later told Italy’s Catholic television network TG2000 that there had been disagreements with Israeli authorities over access but that the dispute remained courteous.
Source: Associated Press; report translated from English by an AP editor with help from a generative AI tool.