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The highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader in Jerusalem shared Monday that the church canceled the annual Palm Sunday processional in light of the war with Iran. The traditional procession from the Mount of Olives up to Jerusalem will be replaced with a moment of prayer, according to a Monday statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The restrictions imposed by the conflict don’t suggest improvement anytime soon, but the situation is constantly evolving, and plans will be coordinated on a day-by-day basis, according to the statement. Church leaders remain in constant dialogue with authorities and other churches to evaluate and find agreement on how to celebrate the Easter season, he added.
The planned Chrism Mass, a ceremony involving the blessing of oils, will also be postponed until further notice and possibly take place within the Easter season, the patriarchate added. Churches will remain open, and parish priests will continue encouraging prayer and participation in religious celebrations.
What kind of restrictions are already in place? Israel already shut down the holy places of Old Jerusalem after the war with Iran began. Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry reported last week that an Iranian missile exploded over Old Jerusalem, showering fragments over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Nothing is sacred to the Iranian regime, which is targeting holy sites of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic worshipers, the ministry said.
Dig deeper: Read my previous report for more about how Jerusalem celebrated Easter in wartime last year.