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‘Manifestly Unreasonable’: Catholic Cardinal Blocked From Celebrating Sunday Mass At Christ’s Tomb By Israeli Police

‘Manifestly Unreasonable’: Catholic Cardinal Blocked From Celebrating Sunday Mass At Christ’s Tomb By Israeli Police

שי קנדלר/Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Wong
March 29, 2026 10:51 AM ET

Israeli police prevented a Catholic Cardinal from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the church traditionally believed to have been built over the burial tomb of Jesus Christ, adding a new dynamic to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, was traveling with the official guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, when they “were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act,” according to an official statement.

“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 added.

Warning of the “grave precedent” the incident risks setting as “billions … this week, look to Jerusalem,” the statement notes how seriously local Church officials have complied with the restrictions imposed by the civil authorities, despite disruptions and inconveniences. The restrictions have not always been evenly implemented, Reuters reported, citing local residents. Muslim preachers during Ramadan and a Western Wall cleaning crew ahead of Passover, for example, were allowed access to their respective holy sites in certain circumstances.

“The Heads of the Churches have acted with full responsibility,” the statement continues, “and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions: 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 statement went on to criticize. “This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo [sic].”

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the Christian Holy Week, commemorating the entry of Christ into Jerusalem days before His arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. It coincides with the April 1-9, 2026, Jewish observance of Passover. With the accessibility of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now in question, it remains to be seen where the faithful of the Holy Land will gather for the celebration of Easter Sunday, the holiest day of the Christian liturgical calendar.

Likewise, the Dome of the Rock and the entire Al-Aqsa Mosque compound are closed to most Islamic worshippers due to security concerns, especially as related to the ongoing military conflict between Iran and the U.S. and Israel, according to the Guardian. Other parts of the Old City, such as the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple, are also closed to the normally flowing crowds of families and tourists, The Associated Press reported.

Shrapnel from an Iranian missile intercepted weeks earlier scattered across the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate — yards away from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — as well as near those two holiest sites for Muslim and Jewish worshippers, according the outlet.

Pope Leo XIV appeared to address the situation to pilgrims to Vatican City during his noon Angelus remarks. The incident occurred around the time the Holy Father was celebrating Mass and read a similar prepared statement during his homily.

“At the beginning of Holy Week, our prayers are more than ever with the Christians of the Middle East, who are suffering the consequences of a brutal conflict and, in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies of these holy days,” the pope reflected. “Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s Passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering. Their ordeal challenges all our consciences.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the restrictions upon the religous leaders as “an ⁠offence [sic] not only to believers but for every community that recognises religious freedom,” Reuters reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a Sunday post to X translated from French, likewise condemned the decision by Israeli police, noting the “alarming proliferation of violations of the status quo of Jerusalem’s Holy Site.”

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee likewise called the incident “an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.”

“For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify,” he continued. “Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities.”

The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on X hours after the incident, characterized as having been done with “no malicious intent whatsoever, only concern for his safety and that of his party.”

The statement went on to reveal that, “given the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world’s Christians,” arrangements were being made “to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also called Cardinal Pizzaballa “to express my great sorrow over this morning’s unfortunate incident.”

He also “clarified that the incident stemmed from security concerns due to the continuous threat of missile attacks from the Iranian terror regime against the civilian population in Israel, following previous incidents in which Iranian missiles fell in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem in recent days” and “reaffirmed the State of Israel’s unwavering commitment to freedom of religion for all faiths and to upholding the status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem.”

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, one of the seven culturally distinct Catholic Churches, or “rites,” ministering in the Middle East, is comprised of an estimated 160,000 Catholics, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Editor’s note: This breaking news report was updated with statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, President Herzog, and Ambassador Huckabee.

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