The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Vatican’s Custody of the Holy Land said in a joint statement on Monday that an agreement was reached with the Israeli police after the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was blocked from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in East Jerusalem.
The joint statement said that “the matters concerning the Holy Week and Easter celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre have been addressed and resolved in coordination with the relevant authorities.”
The statement added that in an agreement with the Israeli police, “access for representatives of the Churches has been secured in order to conduct the liturgies and ceremonies and to preserve the ancient Easter traditions at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
The statement said that the “existing restrictions on public gatherings remain in force for the time being. Accordingly, the Churches will ensure that the liturgies and prayers are broadcast live to the faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world.”
Pizzaballa, the Vatican’s Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, and two of their escorts were blocked from the Holy Sepulchre, despite their compliance with Israeli restrictions on crowds gathering at holy sites in East Jerusalem that were imposed following the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The Latin Patriarchate released a scathing statement in response to Pizzaballa being blocked from privately celebrating Mass at the church, the holiest site in Christianity, and said it marked the first time “in centuries” that church leaders couldn’t access the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, and the incident sparked global outrage.
After midnight in Jerusalem, once Palm Sunday was over, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X that he was ordering the reversal of the measure to grant Pizzaballa access to the church, which is jointly owned by the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
On Monday, Pizzaballa met with Israeli police officials, and the Israeli police shared a photo with the Latin Patriarch on X and said that a “mutual framework has been established for upcoming Easter ceremonies.”
Netanyahu has claimed that Iran has targeted holy sites in East Jerusalem, but while Israeli police have said shrapnel from both Iranian missiles and Israeli air defenses has fallen near holy sites, there’s no indication that Iran has purposely targeted the area.
