Vatican City - Yesterday morning in Jerusalem, Israeli police stopped the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr Francesco Ielpo, as they were making their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Palm Sunday Mass. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land described the decision as “gravely disproportionate”, explaining that the two men were proceeding privately, without any procession or public celebration, and stressing that, “for the first time in centuries”, Church leaders had been prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday liturgy in the holiest place in Christendom.
Reactions from around the world
Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Vicar General of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, said that what had happened appeared to be a “serious and unjustified” act, giving rise to grave concern over freedom of worship and respect for the Status Quo in the Holy Places. The Diocese of Rome expressed its “fraternal closeness and solidarity” to Pizzaballa and Ielpo, recalling that those who work for dialogue and reconciliation “deserve respect, a hearing and protection”, and offered prayers for Jerusalem, for the Holy Land, and for the Palestinian population of Gaza and the West Bank, worn down by violence and the humanitarian crisis.
Israel’s official line insisted on security grounds. President Isaac Herzog said he had personally telephoned Pizzaballa to express his “deep sorrow” over the incident, maintaining that it had been caused by the threat of Iranian missile attacks and reaffirming Israel’s commitment to guaranteeing religious freedom and safeguarding the status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites. This was the same justification later repeated by the Israeli authorities, in the context of broader restrictions on gatherings in the Old City. That explanation, however, failed to persuade even several of Israel’s traditional allies. In recent years, incidents of hostility towards the Christian community have multiplied, including in connection with the position taken by the Catholic Church on what is happening in Gaza. The atmosphere has now become even more tense in light of the crisis with Iran.
The United States Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, described the measure as an “excessive overreach” and noted that the four Catholic clerics involved were well below the limit of 50 people laid down by the security provisions. He added that preventing the Patriarch from entering for a private Palm Sunday celebration was “difficult to understand or justify”. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of an “offence” not only to believers, but to every community that recognises religious freedom, calling the Holy Sepulchre a sacred place of Christianity that must be preserved for the celebration of rites. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that the Israeli ambassador would be summoned to provide clarification on the decision to prevent Pizzaballa from celebrating Palm Sunday. Meloni also telephoned the Patriarch to express both personal and institutional solidarity. The condemnation quickly spread across the rest of Europe. Emmanuel Macron denounced the Israeli police decision as part of a “worrying” series of violations of the status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and said that the free exercise of worship must be guaranteed to all religions. The European Union’s High Representative, Kaja Kallas, spoke of a “violation of religious freedom” and of the historic protections governing the holy sites. Portugal said the denial “deserves the strongest condemnation”, while Armin Laschet, chairman of the Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, called it “unacceptable” to deny the Cardinal access to the holiest place in Christendom.
The ecclesial world too spoke with one voice. Archbishop Richard Moth described what had happened as a “clear denial of freedom of worship”. Cardinal Vincent Nichols judged the action of the Israeli authorities “reckless, disproportionate and unacceptable”, while Bishop Jim Curry warned that limiting the right to freedom of worship calls into question the Status Quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. From Italy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, expressed full solidarity with Pizzaballa and outrage at what he described as a “serious and unreasonable” measure, calling for religious freedom in the Holy Land to be guaranteed as an essential condition for any authentic peace process. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that Pizzaballa be granted “full and immediate access” to the Holy Sepulchre, while the police later said an understanding had been reached with the Patriarchate to allow limited prayer at the site. That reversal, which came after hours of protests by governments, ecclesiastical authorities and international institutions, does not erase the gravity of what happened: at the heart of Holy Week, in the central place of the Christian faith, in Jerusalem, the leaders of the Church were prevented from entering the Holy Sepulchre for the Palm Sunday liturgy.
The Patriarchate’s statement
This morning, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land issued a new statement announcing that the matter concerning the Holy Week and Easter celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had been addressed and resolved in coordination with the relevant authorities. In agreement with the Israeli police, they explained, access for representatives of the Churches had been secured for the celebration of the liturgies and ceremonies, so as to preserve the ancient Easter traditions at the Basilica. The statement also makes clear that, in light of the current state of war, restrictions on public gatherings remain in force and that, for this reason, the Churches will ensure live broadcasts of the liturgies and prayers for the faithful of the Holy Land and throughout the world. The Patriarchate and the Custody then expressed “sincere gratitude” to the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog, for his “prompt attention” and for his intervention, extending thanks also to the heads of state and officials who, in recent hours, had publicly shown closeness and support. The statement then recalls a principle which the local Churches consider essential at this stage: religious faith as a supreme human value, shared by Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze and every other community present in the region. Precisely for this reason, it stresses, at a time marked by war the safeguarding of freedom of worship remains a fundamental and shared duty. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land also reaffirm that they remain in constant dialogue with the authorities, including the Israeli police, expressing the hope that suitable solutions may continue to be found to allow prayer in places of worship, especially in the Holy Places, with due respect both for security requirements and for the religious practices that accompany the lives of hundreds of millions of believers. In its closing lines, the Patriarchate and the Custody reaffirm their commitment to dialogue, mutual respect and the safeguarding of the Status Quo, accompanying that appeal with a prayer for an end to the war that continues to afflict the region and with wishes for a blessed Holy Week.
G.B.
Silere non possum