Israeli forces prevented two high-ranking Church officials in the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where they intended to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass. Source: Crux.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Franciscan Father Francesco Ielpo, the official guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, were prevented from entering the holy place of worship.
“The two were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and were compelled to turn back,” said a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
“As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the statement said.
Due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the United States against Iran, most religious sites in the Holy Land have been closed to visitors because of Iranian attacks. However, religious services have continued to be performed by clergy from all religions.
The Catholic leaders said this latest incident “is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem”.
The statement noted the heads of the Churches in the Holy Land have acted with full responsibility and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions. They pointed out public gatherings were cancelled, attendance was prohibited, and arrangements were made to broadcast the celebrations to hundreds of millions of faithful worldwide, who, during these days of Easter, “turn their eyes to Jerusalem and to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre”.
“Preventing the entry of the Cardinal and the Custos, who bear the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Places, constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure,” the Catholic leaders said.
Following the incident, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that the Israeli ambassador to Italy would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the situation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement describing what happened as “an offence to the faithful.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying all “safety and precautionary instructions in the Old City are” a direct result of Iranian missile fire.
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Catholic cardinal refused entry to Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (Crux Now)
