Netanyahu Grants Latin Patriarch Access After Palm Sunday Ban

Published: March 30, 2026. The English Chronicle Desk.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a direct order to grant the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem “full and immediate access” to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, following a wave of international condemnation after police blocked the senior Catholic cleric from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass. The incident, described by the Latin Patriarchate as a “grave precedent” not seen for centuries, occurred early Sunday morning when Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, were intercepted by officers while traveling privately to the holy site and forced to turn back.

In a midnight post on X, Netanyahu insisted there was “no malicious intent” behind the blockade, characterizing it instead as a protective measure amid the ongoing war with Iran. He claimed that over the past several days, Iranian ballistic missiles have “repeatedly targeted” Jerusalem’s holy sites, noting one specific strike where fragments reportedly landed just meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. “To protect worshippers, Israel asked members of all faiths to temporarily abstain from worshipping at the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City,” the Prime Minister stated. “Today, out of special concern for his safety, Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked to refrain from holding Mass.”

The police ban had earlier triggered a “ripple of fear” and anger across the diplomatic world. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the decision as a “violation of the status of the Holy Places,” while US Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the denial “difficult to understand or justify.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of the Netanyahu government, also weighed in, labeling the exclusion of Christians from their shared holy city as “unacceptable.” Under this mounting pressure, the Prime Minister’s Office pivoted, announcing that security arms are now “putting together a plan” to ensure church leaders can conduct services throughout the remainder of Holy Week.

The Latin Patriarchate’s statement emphasized that they had already complied with wartime safety directives by canceling the traditional large-scale Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives. They argued that barring a private, low-profile entry for the Heads of the Church was a “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.” For the first time in generations, the most sacred week in the Christian calendar began without the customary Catholic liturgy at the site where many believe Jesus was crucified and buried.

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its fifth week and oil prices surge past $115 a barrel, the Old City of Jerusalem has become a ghost town. The Western Wall and Al-Aqsa Mosque remain largely empty, and the usual bustle of pilgrims has been replaced by the hum of air defense systems and the sirens of the Home Front Command. While the Cardinal has now been granted his “full access,” the broader restrictions on public worship remain in place, leaving the “multi-religious character” of Jerusalem under its most severe strain in modern history.

For Cardinal Pizzaballa, who eventually held a smaller service at the Church of Gethsemane, the message remained one of resilience. “War will not erase the resurrection,” he told a small group of faithful. As the world looks toward Easter Sunday, the diplomatic scramble over a set of wooden doors in the Old City serves as a stark reminder that even in the middle of a regional conflagration, the “status quo” of Jerusalem’s stones remains a global flashpoint.

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