Netanyahu intervenes following international outcry after Latin Patriarch was stopped from entering Jerusalem holy site on Palm Sunday.
Italy on Sunday summoned Israel’s ambassador after Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass.
The Italian cardinal’s office said it was “the first time in centuries” that a Latin Patriarch had been turned away from Christianity’s most sacred site on Palm Sunday, the day marking the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter.
The incident
Cardinal Pizzaballa was travelling with the church’s guardian, Father Francesco Ielpo, when the two were stopped en route to the holy site where they had planned to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass.
Pizzaballa stated that they were proceeding privately, without any characteristics of procession or ceremony, and were “compelled” to turn back from the church which is built on the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
Israeli law enforcement officials stated that all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, including those sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews, had been closed to worshippers since the beginning of the US-Israeli operation against Iran, particularly those without adequate bomb shelters.
The Latin Patriarchate described the measure as a “grave precedent” that “disregards the sensibilities of billions” of Christians worldwide, particularly during Holy Week.
He noted that church leaders had complied with all restrictions imposed by Israel since the start of the war with Iran, stressing that he had merely wanted to celebrate “a brief and small private ceremony”.
Cardinal’s response
Pizzaballa described the decision by Israeli police as “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure” but said he did “not want to force the issue”.
“We want to use this situation to try to clarify better what will be done in the coming days, respecting the security of all naturally but also in respect of the right to prayer,” he said.
Unable to celebrate Mass at the Holy Sepulchre, the Latin Patriarchate led the solemn celebration of Palm Sunday from the Basilica of All Nations in Gethsemane, where he offered a message of hope, stating that “war will not erase the resurrection” and that “grief will not extinguish hope.”
The Vatican
News of the barring reached the Vatican as Pope Leo XIV was concluding his Palm Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square, where he had prayed especially for 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.”
During his homily, Pope Leo said that God rejects the prayers of leaders who start wars and have “hands full of blood,” dedicating his address to his insistence that God is the “king of peace” who rejects violence.
The Vatican did not specifically comment on the police incident in Jerusalem.
Italy’s response
The reaction from Rome was unequivocal. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “solidarity” with Pizzaballa, stating that denying entry to the Patriarch of Jerusalem, “especially on a solemnity central to the faith such as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offence not only against believers but against every community that recognises religious freedom.”
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani made a formal protest on behalf of the Italian government to the Israeli authorities and summoned the Israeli ambassador on Monday, demanding clarifications.
Tajani also instructed the Italian ambassador to Israel to protest to the government of the Tel Aviv authorities and to reaffirm Italy’s position “on the protection of religious freedom always and under all circumstances.”
The move was notable given that Meloni’s right-wing government had sought to maintain a balanced position with Israel during the war in Gaza, supporting Israel’s right to self-defence whilst condemning the toll on Palestinian civilians.
Israeli ambassador on Italian television
Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, gave an interview on Italian television on Sunday, before meeting Tajani on Monday.
Peled responded to the controversy by stating that Cardinal Pizzaballa had been informed of the ban, given that Jerusalem constitutes a conflict zone.
“We understand that today is a significant day for Catholics and we had no intention of offending Christian believers around the world, but we must understand that we are under rocket attacks,” the ambassador said.
“The entire city of Jerusalem has been closed to Christians, Muslims, and even Jews for a month” – Peled said – “The missiles have hit the entire city, even the Holy Sepulchre. As we speak, rockets and missiles are hitting Jerusalem, ten million Israelis are in shelters, and so we have to understand that this is a conflict zone.”
Netanyahu intervenes
Faced with an international outcry, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had asked “relevant authorities” to allow Cardinal Pizzaballa to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and “hold services as he wishes.”
Netanyahu’s office stated that police had intervened “out of special concern for his safety,” insisting that “there was no malicious intent whatsoever,” and noting that Iran had repeatedly targeted holy sites in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles, with missile fragments having fallen metres from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself.
Netanyahu added that “given the holiness of the week leading up to Easter for the world’s Christians, Israel’s security arms are putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days.”
Who is Cardinal Pizzaballa?
A Franciscan friar from the northern Italian city of Bergamo, 60-year-old Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020.
Pope Francis appointed him to the role as archbishop of Latin Church Catholics of the Archdiocese of Jerusalem, with jurisdiction for all Latin Catholics in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus.
Pizzaballa, who last year was tipped as a potential successor to Pope Francis, has lived in the Holy Land for more than three decades and speaks fluent Hebrew.
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