![\"Christians](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/palm-69c9f9db31c61.jpg\"\/ "\\"Palm")
<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIsraeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries, setting off a wave of criticism from the United States and others.Jerusalem’s major holy sites, including the church, are closed because of the ongoing Iran war, as the city has come under frequent fire from Iranian missiles.Early Monday morning, Israel’s police said it had approved a \u201climited prayer framework\u201d for the church, in consultation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.On Sunday, the Patriarchate had called the police decision to bar entry \u201ca manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.\u201d It prevented two of the church\u2019s top religious leaders, including the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus\u2019 triumphant entry into Jerusalem and marks the beginning of Holy Week for Christians, which culminates in Easter.Israeli police said they had notified church authorities on Saturday that no Mass could take place on Palm Sunday because of safety considerations, the lack of access for emergency vehicles in narrow alleys of the Old City and lack of adequate shelter.In the Monday statement, police said the new framework would aim to \u201cenable freedom of worship.\u201d It highlighted that restrictions at holy sites without standard protected spaces \u2014 like the cavernous church deep in a maze of tiny alleyways \u2014 are meant to \u201csafeguard worshippers\u201d from Iranian attacks.Earlier this month, shrapnel from the interception of an Iranian missile fell on a rooftop just steps from the church.However, the Latin Patriarchate said the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had been hosting Masses that aren’t open to the public since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, and it was unclear why Sunday\u2019s Mass and access by the two priests was any different.\u201cIt\u2019s a very, very sacred day for Christians and in our opinion there was no justification for such a decision or such an action,\u201d said Farid Jubran, the spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.Jubran said that the church had requested permission from police for a few religious leaders to enter the church for a private celebration on Sunday \u2014 not one that was open to the public. The Patriarchate said that the decision impeded freedom of worship and the status quo in Jerusalem.The traditional Palm Sunday procession normally sees tens of thousands of Christians from around the world walk from the Mount of Olives down the narrow, hilly streets toward the Old City, waving palm fronds and singing.The Patriarchate canceled the traditional processional last week because of safety concerns, and has held Masses limited to fewer than 50 worshippers in compliance with the Israeli military\u2019s guidelines for civilians.Pizzaballa instead celebrated Mass in the nearby St. Savior\u2019s Monastery, a soaring marble church which is located next to an underground music school that the Israeli military has deemed a safe shelter space. Later on Sunday, Pizzaballa held a prayer for peace at the Dominus Flevit Shrine on the Mount of Olives, but kept his homily concentrated on Jesus and didn’t mention the morning\u2019s incident.Pope Leo XIV, at the end of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter\u2019s Square, prayed for all Christians in the Middle East who he said were living through an \u201catrocious\u201d conflict. He said that \u201cin many cases, they cannot live fully the rites of these holy days,\u201d though he didn\u2019t elaborate.The Vatican spokesman didn\u2019t immediately respond when asked to comment on the Jerusalem incident.US, France and Italy criticize decisionThe closure sparked a wave of criticism that Israeli authorities had gone too far in restricting worship, including from Israel\u2019s top ally, the United States.U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a devout evangelical Christian, said that the incident was \u201can unfortunate overreach.”He said in a statement that the proposed prayer with Pizzaballa and the others was well below the 50-person limit for gatherings. \u201cFor the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify,\u201d he wrote.French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident, which he said had added to the \u201cconcerning increase in violations of the status of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.\u201d In a post on X, Macron wrote: \u201cThe free exercise of worship in Jerusalem must be guaranteed for all religions.\u201dItalian authorities across the political spectrum condemned the move to restrict Pizzaballa, an Italian cardinal considered a leading papal contender in the 2025 conclave, to access the church.The Italian government formally protested the incident to Israeli authorities and summoned Israel’s ambassador to Rome for clarification.Premier Giorgia Meloni said that the police action \u201cconstitutes an offense not only against believers but against every community that recognizes religious freedom.\u201dMeloni\u2019s conservative government tried to keep a balanced position with Israel during the war in Gaza, supporting Israel\u2019s right to defense but condemning the toll on Palestinians. The Italian leader has also said that Italy won’t participate in the Iran war, while affirming that the Islamic Republic can’t be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.Israel working to allow partial accessIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no \u201cmalicious intent\u201d and that the cardinal was prevented from accessing the church because of safety concerns, but that Israel would try to partially open the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the coming days.\u201cGiven the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world\u2019s Christians, Israel\u2019s security arms are putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days,\u201d Netanyahu wrote on X.In an interview with Italian Catholic broadcaster TG2000, Pizzaballa said there was difference of opinions with Israeli authorities over accessing the church, but that the dispute remained polite.”We want to use this situation to try to clarify better what will be done in the coming days, respecting the security of all naturally but also in respect of the right to prayer,\u201d he said.The Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, is also mostly closed because of safety issues, but authorities are letting up to 50 people at a time pray in an enclosed area adjacent to the plaza.Smaller churches, synagogues, and mosques are open in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City if they are located within a certain distance of a bomb shelter deemed acceptable by Israel\u2019s military and, if gatherings are kept under 50 people.The same limitations apply to most of Israel, where schools have also been closed since the beginning of the Iran war and workplaces can function only where a shelter can be reached in the short time available after an alert.Nicole Winfield reported from Rome.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tTEL AVIV-YAFO, Tel Aviv District \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries, setting off a wave of criticism from the United States and others.<\/p>\n
Jerusalem’s major holy sites, including the church, are closed because of the ongoing Iran war, as the city has come under frequent fire from Iranian missiles.<\/p>\n
Early Monday morning, Israel’s police said it had approved a \u201climited prayer framework\u201d for the church, in consultation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, the Patriarchate had called the police decision to bar entry \u201ca manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.\u201d It prevented two of the church\u2019s top religious leaders, including the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.<\/p>\n
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus\u2019 triumphant entry into Jerusalem and marks the beginning of Holy Week for Christians, which culminates in Easter.<\/p>\n
Israeli police said they had notified church authorities on Saturday that no Mass could take place on Palm Sunday because of safety considerations, the lack of access for emergency vehicles in narrow alleys of the Old City and lack of adequate shelter.<\/p>\n
In the Monday statement, police said the new framework would aim to \u201cenable freedom of worship.\u201d It highlighted that restrictions at holy sites without standard protected spaces \u2014 like the cavernous church deep in a maze of tiny alleyways \u2014 are meant to \u201csafeguard worshippers\u201d from Iranian attacks.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, shrapnel from the interception of an Iranian missile fell on a rooftop just steps from the church.<\/p>\n
\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\tMahmoud Illean\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChristians walk with palm branches during Palm Sunday in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, Sunday, March 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
However, the Latin Patriarchate said the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had been hosting Masses that aren’t open to the public since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, and it was unclear why Sunday\u2019s Mass and access by the two priests was any different.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very, very sacred day for Christians and in our opinion there was no justification for such a decision or such an action,\u201d said Farid Jubran, the spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Jubran said that the church had requested permission from police for a few religious leaders to enter the church for a private celebration on Sunday \u2014 not one that was open to the public. The Patriarchate said that the decision impeded freedom of worship and the status quo in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
The traditional Palm Sunday procession normally sees tens of thousands of Christians from around the world walk from the Mount of Olives down the narrow, hilly streets toward the Old City, waving palm fronds and singing.<\/p>\n
The Patriarchate canceled the traditional processional last week because of safety concerns, and has held Masses limited to fewer than 50 worshippers in compliance with the Israeli military\u2019s guidelines for civilians.<\/p>\n
Pizzaballa instead celebrated Mass in the nearby St. Savior\u2019s Monastery, a soaring marble church which is located next to an underground music school that the Israeli military has deemed a safe shelter space. Later on Sunday, Pizzaballa held a prayer for peace at the Dominus Flevit Shrine on the Mount of Olives, but kept his homily concentrated on Jesus and didn’t mention the morning\u2019s incident.<\/p>\n