TEL AVIV, Israel.— Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate the Palm Sunday mass for the first time in centuries, the Latin Patriarchate reported.
The main Jerusalem’s holy sites are closed due to the war with Iran, including the church, as the city has been the target of frequent Iranian missile attacks.
Police prevent Palm Sunday mass from being held in Israel
The Catholic Church described the police decision as “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.”
He prevented two of the church’s main religious leaders, including the Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the head of the Custody in the Holy Land, will celebrate Palm Sunday in the place where Christians believe that Jesus was crucified.
Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and begins the commemorations of Holy Week for Christians who follow the Latin calendar, which culminates with Easter next Sunday.
Israeli police said they notified the Catholic Church on Saturday that no mass could be celebrated on Palm Sunday. for securitylack of access for emergency vehicles in the narrow alleys of the Old City and lack of adequate shelter.
However, the Latin Patriarchate indicated that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been hosting masses that are not open to the public since the war with Iran began on February 28, and it was not clear why the Sunday mass and the access of the two priests were different.
The Catholic Church protests the Israeli measure
“It is a very, very sacred day for Christians and, in our opinion, there is no justification for such a decision or action,” stressed Farid Jubran, spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
He explained that permission was requested from the police for some religious leaders to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for a private mass on Sunday, not open to the public.
The Patriarchate maintained that the decision hindered freedom of religion and the the state in which in Jerusalem.
The traditional Palm Sunday procession normally brings together tens of thousands of Christians from around the world, who walk from the Mount of Olives through the narrow and steep streets towards the Old Citywaving palms and singing.
The Patriarchy canceled the traditional procession last week for security and has celebrated masses limited to less than 50 faithful in compliance with the Israeli army’s guidelines for the civilian population.
Mass and prayer for peace
Pizzaballa celebrated mass in the nearby monastery of San Salvadoran imposing marble church located next to an underground music school that the Israeli army has considered a safe haven space.
Later he made a prayer for peace at the Dominus Flevit shrine on the Mount of Olives, but he kept his homily focused on Jesus and did not mention the morning incident.
He Pope Leo XIV, At the end of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, he prayed for all Christians in the Middle East, who, he said, were experiencing an “atrocious” conflict.
He stated that in many cases, they cannot fully experience the rites of these holy days, although he did not give further details.
The Vatican spokesman did not respond when asked to comment on the incident in Jerusalem.
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