Israeli police prevent the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass for the first time in centuries

This year's Palm Sunday will be marked as an unusual day in the history of Jerusalem. For the first time in centuries, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest representative of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, has not been able to celebrate Mass in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre because the Israeli police have blocked the entrance to the temple. Holy Week thus begins under exceptional circumstances, without pilgrims, without large processions, and with the image of the Patriarch at the church door, unable to enter.As reported by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem itself, Israeli agents intercepted the cardinal as he was heading to the Holy Sepulchre with the Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Sepulchre, Francesco Ielpo, and forced them to turn back, even though they were walking "without any sign of procession or ceremonial act," according to the Patriarchate's statement.Similarly to what happened during Ramadan, the police ban comes amid an escalation of the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and within the framework of security measures that have kept the main holy sites of the Old City closed, such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, the Western Wall, and the Holy Sepulchre, since March 6. For weeks, Muslim faithful have been unable to access the Al-Aqsa Mosque, nor the Esplanade of the Mosques, nor can they pray outside the walls of the Old City, due to episodes of violence and expulsions by Israeli forces.The Latin Patriarchate has described the measure as "manifestly irrational and very disproportionate" and interprets it as a direct blow to freedom of worship and to the sensibilities of millions of faithful worldwide. The Church recalls that it had already complied with all imposed restrictions: public gatherings had been canceled and the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City, passing through the Lion's Gate, had been suspended, given the Israeli limitation of holding gatherings of fewer than 50 people, provided there was a shelter nearby.Italy calls it an offense and says it is unacceptable

The incident has become a diplomatic conflict: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called it "an offense not only to believers, but to any community that recognizes religious freedom". Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said that “it is unacceptable that they were prevented from entering”, and added that he has asked the Italian ambassador to Israel to convey Italy's official protest to his government.Israeli police, almost four hours after the incident, issued a statement explaining that church authorities had been warned in advance that they would not be able to access the Holy Sepulchre for security reasons. According to the authorities, their request had not been approved and they had known since yesterday. “Since the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, and in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Home Front Command, all holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem have been closed to the faithful, especially those without standard protected spaces, with the aim of safeguarding public safety”, the police stated in the communiqué.The police add that the Old City and the holy sites of Jerusalem “are a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency or rescue vehicles, which significantly hinders response capabilities and represents a real risk to human life in the event of a mass casualty incident”. In some churches, small masses have been held and palms and olive branches have been blessed, but without large gatherings, always respecting Israeli regulations. Given the prohibition of usual public events, the faithful will be able to follow the various celebrations online. The Christian Media Center provides access to broadcasts in various languages.