{"id":92115,"date":"2026-03-30T12:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T17:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=92115"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T19:35:30","slug":"netanyahu-orders-church-of-the-holy-sepulchre-open-after-palm-sunday-closure-flares-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/netanyahu-orders-church-of-the-holy-sepulchre-open-after-palm-sunday-closure-flares-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Netanyahu orders Church of the Holy Sepulchre open after Palm Sunday closure flares tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"

By PHILISSA CRAMER<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered that the top Catholic clergy in Israel be allowed into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre ahead of Easter, in an attempt to calm tensions that flared after police blocked their access.<\/p>\n

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Christians attend a service organized by the Latin Patriarchate to celebrate the feast of Palm Sunday, one of the most important holidays of the Christian calendar, in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Mostafa Alkharouf\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Police cited wartime restrictions when prohibiting Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and three other Catholic representatives from visiting the church, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, on Palm Sunday, a holy day for Christians. <\/p>\n

Many holy sites in the city, including the Western Wall for Jews and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims, have been closed or tightly restricted since the start of the Iran war last month because they lack bomb shelters for the number of people who typically gather there. Shrapnel from Iranian missiles have landed in the Old City multiple times, including near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.<\/p>\n

But the prohibitions on Pizzaballa\u2019s access come at a time when some Christians are expressing concern that Israel is discriminating against them. A statement from the Latin Patriarchate on Sunday accusing Israel of having made a \u201chasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations,\u201d seemed to fuel those sentiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 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,\u201d the Latin Patriarchate said. \u201cThis incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christians believe that the church is the site of Jesus\u2019 burial and resurrection, making prayers at the site on Palm Sunday, which kicks off the week leading up to Easter, particularly significant. Pizzaballa was seeking to pray privately at the site, not lead a major service as is typical.<\/p>\n

Criticism over the closure resounded across the globe, including among allies of the Israeli government. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the closure as \u201can insult\u201d and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called it \u201cdifficult to understand or justify\u201d given that wartime rules prohibit only gatherings of 50 or more.<\/p>\n

Soon, Israeli authorities were negotiating a special arrangement that would allow Pizzaballa and a handful of other Christian leaders access to the holy sites without opening them widely. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he called Pizzaballa personally to express his commitment to religious freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reiterate the unwavering commitment of the State of Israel to the freedom of worship for people of all faiths and the importance of upholding the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem,\u201d Herzog said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, gives an interview at the patriarchate headquarters in Jerusalem on April 22, 2025. (Menahem Kahana\/AFP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

For his part, Pizzaballa downplayed the incident when speaking to a Catholic news channel. \u201cThere were no clashes, and we don\u2019t want to force matters, but rather figure out what to do while respecting the right to prayer,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were misunderstandings, we didn\u2019t understand each other, and that\u2019s what happened. It\u2019s never happened before; it\u2019s a shame this happened. This morning\u2019s events are important, but we must consider the broader context. There are people who are much worse off than us who cannot celebrate for very different reasons. Once again, we are celebrating a subdued Easter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The police said the closure was justified because in addition to the lack of bomb shelters in the Old City, the area\u2019s narrow and winding streets make it hard for emergency vehicles to reach anyone who might be injured in an attack.<\/p>\n

Netanyahu said that while he understood the safety considerations involved in turning Pizzaballa back on Sunday, he had called for changes going forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The dustup came as Pope Leo, in his Palm Sunday address in the Vatican, condemned the Iran war and lamented that Christians in the Middle East \u201care suffering the consequences of a brutal conflict and, in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies of these holy days.\u201d<\/p>\n

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