Israel blocks cardinal from Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Israeli police blocked Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Francesco Ielpo, the Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the church for Palm Sunday Mass; the Catholic Church said it was the first time in centuries Church heads were prevented from celebrating the Mass there.
- Israeli police said all holy sites in Jerusalem were closed due to safety concerns amid the US-Israel war on Iran, noting that emergency vehicle access in the Old City 'poses a real risk to human life' during a mass casualty incident; Al-Aqsa Mosque was also closed to worshippers during Ramadan.
- Netanyahu's office defended the blocking as 'special concern for his safety,' saying holy sites had been 'repeatedly targeted' by Iran, and announced that Israel's security arms are 'putting together a plan to enable church leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days.'
- US Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the incident an 'unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world,' pointing out the four Catholic representatives were well below Israel's 50-person gathering restriction.
- Italy, France, the EU, and Spain all condemned the action—Italian PM Giorgia Meloni called it 'an offence not only to the faithful, but to any community that respects religious freedom,' and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned Israel's ambassador.
- The Catholic Church labeled the decision 'manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate' and 'a grave precedent,' saying it 'disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world' who look to Jerusalem during Holy Week.
Why it matters: The block marks an unprecedented break in centuries-old access to one of Christianity's holiest sites, drawing public condemnation from the US ambassador and leaders of Italy, France, the EU, and Spain—all while Easter still looms. Huckabee's public rebuke, paired with Netanyahu's offer to negotiate access 'in the coming days,' puts Israel under diplomatic pressure to clarify its wartime policy on religious freedom in Jerusalem's Old City.
Ask SkimNews
