By Sabiu Abdullahi
Israeli police on Sunday prevented top Catholic leaders from accessing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where they were scheduled to lead Palm Sunday Mass.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the development in a joint statement issued with the Custody of the Holy Land. According to the statement, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, were stopped while heading to the church.
The statement explained that the clerics “were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and were compelled to turn back.”
Church authorities said the incident marked an unprecedented disruption. “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.
They criticised the action of the police, describing it as “a grave precedent, and disregard[ing] the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.”
The Patriarchate noted that Christian leaders had adhered strictly to restrictions imposed since the outbreak of the war. It stated that public gatherings were cancelled, attendance was not allowed, and arrangements were put in place to broadcast religious activities to millions of worshippers globally.
The statement further condemned the move as “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.” It added that the decision was “hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations” and represented “an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo.”
Expressing disappointment over the development, the Church authorities said, “We express our profound sorrow to the Christian faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world that prayer on one of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar has thus been prevented.”