Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the head of the Franciscans in the Holy Land from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass “for the first time in centuries,” the Latin Patriarchate said.
Cardinal Pierbatista Piccabella and the Guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Father Francesco Ielpo, were blocked on their way while proceeding privately, without a procession or any element of ritual act, and were forced to return, according to a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land.
As a result, “for the first time in centuries, Church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, setting a serious precedent, ignoring the sensitivity of billions of people around the world who, this week, are turning their attention to Jerusalem,” the statement said.
The Holy Sepulchre, along with the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa Mosque remain closed to the public as of the end of February 2026 due to the war.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is an important centre and landmark of Christianity. Its custody is shared between the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches.
