Bishop Ilario Antoniazzi (C) leads the Palm Sunday procession at the Catholic Franciscan Monastery of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem's Old City on March 29, 2026, amid the ongoing Middle East war. (Credit: John Wessels / AFP)
Israeli police prevented the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and the head of the Franciscans for the Holy Land from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, with Rome denouncing it as "an offense to believers." "For the first time in centuries, church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," said a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Custos Francesco Ielpo "were stopped on their way and were forced to turn back," the statement added. This act "sets a serious precedent and demonstrates a lack of consideration for the sensitivity of billions of people around the world who, during this week, turn their eyes toward Jerusalem."
Contacted by AFP, the police did not respond immediately.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the incident as "an offense not only to believers, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom," and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that the Israeli ambassador to Italy would be summoned on Monday.
At the start of the offensive carried out with the United States against Iran on Feb. 28, Israeli authorities banned large gatherings, including in synagogues, churches and mosques — especially al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam — during the holy month of Ramadan, and limited public gatherings to about 50 people.
Palm Sunday, which opens Holy Week, commemorates Christ's last entry into Jerusalem, where, according to the Gospels, he was welcomed by a jubilant crowd a few days before his crucifixion and resurrection on Easter morning.
'A shame'
The Latin Patriarchate had canceled the traditional Palm Sunday procession, which usually goes from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and attracts thousands of faithful each year. "The church leaders acted with full responsibility and, since the beginning of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions," the Patriarchate said.
While most shops and businesses in Jerusalem's Old City remained closed, Palestinian Christians gathered at Saint Savior Monastery to celebrate Palm Sunday. "It's very sad ... We are always used to the procession that starts from the Mount of Olives, but this year, because of the war-related measures, we are forbidden to celebrate," André, 51, told AFP.
For Simon Hosh, 25, it is "a shame" to be limited to celebrations inside the monastery church, "because many people come from around the world to celebrate this Sunday in the streets."
Pope Leo XIV paid tribute on Sunday in Rome after the Angelus prayer to "the Christians of the Middle East, who suffer the consequences of an atrocious conflict and who, in many cases, cannot fully live the rites of these holy days."
According to 2023 estimates from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Christians represented more than 18 percent of the Holy Land's population (a region that includes Jordan in addition to Israel and the Palestinian Territories) at the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, but they are now less than 2 percent, the majority of which are Orthodox.
