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, could not celebrate Mass in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre: it was blocked by Israeli police as he tried to reach the temple. Holy Week thus begins under an exceptional climate, without pilgrims, without massive processions, and with the image of the Patriarch unable to enter the temple.As reported by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem itself, Israeli agents intercepted the cardinal as he was heading to the Holy Sepulchre along with the Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Sepulchre, Francesco Ielpo. Both were forced to turn back, despite traveling "without any sign of procession or ceremonial act," according to the Patriarchate's statement.In a similar way to what happened during Ramadan, the police veto comes amidst the 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 in 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 its Esplanade, nor 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 gravely disproportionate" and interprets it as a direct blow to freedom of worship and to the sensitivity of millions of faithful worldwide. The Church recalls that it had already complied with all imposed restrictions: public gatherings had been cancelled and the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City via the Lion's Gate had been suspended, given the Israeli limitation of gatherings to fewer than 50 people and provided there is a shelter nearby.Italy calls it an offense and unacceptable

The incident has turned into a diplomatic conflict: the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has called it "an offense not only to believers but to any community that recognizes religious freedom". The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antoni Tajani, has said that “it is unacceptable that they were prevented from entering”, adding that he has informed the Italian ambassador in Israel to convey Italy's official protest to the Israeli government.The Israeli police, almost four hours after the incident, have issued a statement explaining that the ecclesiastical authorities were notified in advance that they could not access the Holy Sepulchre for security reasons. According to the authorities, their request was not approved and they knew this 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 places that do not have standard protected spaces, with the aim of safeguarding public safety”, the police state in the communiqué.The police add that the Old City and the holy sites of Jerusalem “constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and 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 celebrated and palms and olive branches have been blessed, but without large crowds, 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.