Israel restores access after Latin Patriarch blocked from entering Jerusalem church
After widespread backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today the Latin Patriarch would get “full and immediate access”.
Story from The Journal: https://www.thejournal.ie/israel-restores-access-after-latin-patriarch-blocked-from-entering-jerusalem-church-on-palm-sunday-6998159-Mar2026/
ISRAEL SAYS THE Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will regain access to Christianity’s holiest site after the decision to block him from entering the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday triggered international condemnation.
Police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from entering the church, citing security concerns as Israel enforces a ban on gatherings in synagogues, churches and mosques during the ongoing war with Iran, which has brought missile strikes near holy sites.
After widespread backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today the Latin Patriarch would get “full and immediate access”.
A patriarch is one of the eleven highest-ranking bishops of in the Catholic Church including the Pope, the six “patriarchs of the east”, and the bishops of Lisbon, Venice, Jerusalem, and the East Indies.
Recounting yesterday’s events, representatives of the Latin Patriarch said in a statement that Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, were travelling privately without a ceremonial procession when officers at the church entrance forced them to turn back.
“As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” it said, calling the incident a “grave precedent” that disregards the sensibilities of Christians worldwide.
Palm Sunday, which opens Holy Week for Christians, marks Jesus Christ’s final entry into Jerusalem, days before his crucifixion and resurrection, as described in the Gospels.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains the sites where Christians believe Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected.
Religious freedom concerns
“War will not erase the resurrection. Grief will not extinguish hope,” Pizzaballa said at a Palm Sunday mass he held later at the Church of All Nations, also known as the Church of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives.
The Patriarchate had already announced the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, which normally draws thousands.
Israeli police said all holy sites in Jerusalem have been closed since the start of the war.
“The Patriarch’s request was reviewed yesterday, and it was clarified that it could not be approved,” it said in a statement to AFP.
“The Old City and the holy sites constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles, which significantly challenges response capabilities and poses a real risk to human life in the event of a mass casualty incident,” the force said.
In the Old City of Jerusalem, shops were shuttered and streets lay largely deserted as Christian worshippers expressed sorrow over the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday processions.
“This year because of the war we cannot celebrate in the streets like always,” Simon Hosh, 25, a resident of the Old City, said.
“So, this year we just celebrate in the church. It’s bad.”
Pope Leo XIV, speaking after the Angelus prayer in Rome on Sunday, paid tribute to “the Christians of the Middle East, who suffer the consequences of a terrible conflict and in many cases cannot fully live the rites of these holy days”.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said barring the patriarch was a “violation of religious freedom” and urged Israel to guarantee worship “for all faiths”.
World leaders from France, Spain, Italy and Jordan condemned the restriction.
Netanyahu’s office said there had been “no malicious intent” behind denying the cardinal entry.
The premier elaborated on Israel’s security concerns in a post.
“Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles,” Netanyahu wrote on X.
On 16 March, Israeli police said they found missile and interceptor fragments at holy sites in the Old City, including near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, sharing photos of debris on a roof near the church.
******************************
This is how Vatican News is reporting the story today:
Cardinal Parolin meets Israel’s ambassador, expresses regret over Holy Sepulchre incident
A meeting took place on Monday between the Holy See’s Secretary of State, accompanied by the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Gallagher, and Israeli Ambassador Yaron Sideman. During the meeting clarifications were offered regarding the “unfortunate incident” that occurred yesterday, Palm Sunday, when Israeli police prevented Patriarch Pizzaballa and Custos Fr. Ielpo from entering the Holy Sepulchre.
Vatican News
A meeting took place on Monday, March 30 between Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, and Yaron Sideman, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Holy See.
The Holy See Press Office reported the encounter via its Telegram channel, explaining that the meeting took place following the “unfortunate incident” on March 29, Palm Sunday, which involved Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, OFM, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Ielpo, OFM, Custos of the Holy Land, being prevented by Israeli police from accessing the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
“During the conversation,” the Holy See Press Office statement reads, “regret was expressed over what happened, clarifications were provided, and note was taken of the agreement reached between the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the local authorities regarding participation in the liturgies of the Easter Triduum at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.”
************************
Meanwhile, RTÉ reports: Israel passes death penalty law for Palestinians convicted of carrying out lethal attacks