Jerusalem - This morning, Palm Sunday, 29 March 2026, an episode of particular gravity marked the beginning of Holy Week in Jerusalem. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land have stated that the Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Fr Francesco Ielpo, OFM, from entering the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre for the celebration of Holy Mass.
The two men, who represent the highest Catholic authorities in the Holy Land and at the Holy Places, were making their way to the church privately, without corteges, processions or any outward ceremonial signs. It was during this journey, according to the statement, that they were stopped and forced to turn back. The consequence, the communiqué underlines, is of the utmost seriousness: for the first time in centuries, the heads of the Catholic Church were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulchre, the central place of Christian memory.
Palm Sunday opens the most solemn days of the Christian liturgical year, and in this week Jerusalem becomes the focal point for millions of faithful across the world. For this reason, the Patriarchate and the Custody speak of a grave precedent, one capable of deeply wounding the sensibility of Christians and of all those who recognise in the Holy Sepulchre one of the holiest places of the faith. The statement further specifies that, since the beginning of the war, the leaders of the Churches have maintained an attitude marked by the utmost prudence. Public gatherings have been cancelled, the participation of the faithful has been restricted or prohibited, and broadcasts have been used to allow prayer from afar. Against this backdrop, the decision to deny access precisely to the Patriarch and the Custos is described as manifestly unreasonable and gravely disproportionate.
The statement also uses very firm language on the legal and institutional level. It recalls the need to respect freedom of worship and the Status Quo, that historic balance which governs the presence and rights of the religious communities in the Holy Places. For the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land, the decision taken this morning marks a serious breach of these principles. The effects of the political line pursued by the zionist Benjamin Netanyahu also emerge in episodes such as this. If the international community continues to refrain from taking a clear position in the face of such abuses, it will in effect be giving fresh licence to violations of fundamental human rights carried out in the name of power and economic interests. It is precisely that drift which Leo XIV, yesterday in Monaco, denounced with force.
fr. C.P.
Silere non possum