Israeli Police Bar Cardinal From Palm Sunday Mass

For the first time in centuries, Israeli authorities barred Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass on Palm Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported Sunday. The move comes amid closures of major holy sites in Jerusalem due to ongoing missile attacks linked to the Iran war, which has repeatedly targeted the city. The Catholic Church criticized the decision as “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate,” according to the Associated Press. The ban affected two senior church figures, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the head of the Custos of the Holy Land, who were prevented from conducting the Palm Sunday Mass at the site believed by Christians to be the location of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Israeli police said they had informed the Catholic Church on Saturday that no Mass would be allowed on Palm Sunday. Officials cited safety concerns, including restricted access for emergency vehicles in the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City and insufficient protective shelters. The Latin Patriarchate noted that since the outbreak of the war on February 28, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had continued holding private Masses not open to the public, and it was unclear why the ban applied specifically to Sunday’s service. “This is a profoundly sacred day for Christians, and we see no justification for such a decision,” said Farid Jubran, spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Jubran explained that the Church had requested permission for a limited number of clergy to enter for a private Mass, not a public service. The Patriarchate said the police restriction violated both religious freedom and the long-standing status quo in Jerusalem. Traditionally, Palm Sunday draws tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims who walk from the Mount of Olives to the Old City, waving palm fronds and singing hymns. Due to security concerns, authorities had already canceled the usual procession earlier last week.

Cardinal Pizzaballa instead celebrated Mass at St. Savior’s Monastery, a marble church near an underground music school that the Israeli military has designated as a safe shelter. Later, he offered a prayer for peace at the Dominus Flevit Shrine on the Mount of Olives, without addressing the morning’s blockade. Italy lodged a formal protest with Israeli authorities, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Sunday evening that the decision was not driven by “malicious intent.”

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