By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced that an agreement has been reached with the Israeli authorities to allow Holy Week and Easter celebrations to take place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, after they were initially forbidden to celebrate Palm Sunday.
In a statement issued on March 30, the Latin Patriarchate affirmed that «access has been guaranteed to representatives of the Churches for the celebration of liturgies and ceremonies and for the preservation of the ancient Paschal traditions in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.».
«Naturally, and in view of the current state of war, the restrictions in force on public gatherings remain in place for the time being. Consequently, the Churches will ensure that liturgies and prayers are broadcast live to the faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world,» the communiqué reads.
Context of the problem
The agreement was reached a day after Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pizzaballa and Father Francesco Ielpo, custodian of the Holy Land, from entering the church on March 29, sparking worldwide condemnation.
In a statement released shortly after the incident, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that preventing Catholic leaders from celebrating the start of Holy Week set «a grave precedent and disregarded the sensitivities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look towards Jerusalem.».
Following the controversy, Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated that he called Cardinal Pizzaballa to «express my deep regret for the unfortunate incident that occurred this morning in the Old City of Jerusalem».
«I clarified that the incident was due to security concerns in the face of the continued threat of missile attacks by the Iranian terrorist regime against the civilian population in Israel, following previous incidents in which Iranian missiles landed in the Old City area of Jerusalem in recent days,» he explained.
Church Appreciation
Herzog also reaffirmed Israel's «unwavering commitment to religious freedom for all faiths and to maintaining the status quo at Jerusalem's holy sites.».
In its March 30 communiqué, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed its gratitude to Herzog «for his prompt attention and valuable intervention.».
«We also extend our thanks to the Heads of State and officials who acted swiftly to convey their strong positions, many of whom personally reached out to express their closeness and support,» the statement said.
International reaction
Religious and political leaders from around the world quickly denounced the Israeli authorities after news spread on March 29 that the two Catholic leaders had been banned from entering the church. .
The report of the Palestinian mission to the United Nations, published by X, stated that the actions of the Israeli authorities against the religious leaders were not without precedent, since «for decades, Israel has always denied Palestinian Christians access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with impunity.».
In a subsequent publication, Palestinian government authorities stated that the ban on religious leaders from performing their religious rites «constitutes a crime and an illegal military measure, and represents a flagrant violation of the basic rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among which is freedom of worship.».
The Israeli police's actions, he added, demonstrate a disregard for «the feelings of hundreds of millions of people around the world, an affront to the feelings of Christians and Muslims who share the sanctity of the city of Jerusalem and its religious and historical status, and a violation of the existing legal and historical status quo.».
Prominent Western leaders also took to social media to denounce the incident.
Among the immediate reactions were those from Italy, where the country's foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, called the incident «unacceptable» and announced that he had summoned Israel's ambassador to Italy «to receive clarification on the decision to prevent Cardinal Pizzaballa from celebrating Palm Sunday.».
Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel, issued an unusual condemnation, acknowledging that while the holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City were closed for security reasons, preventing leaders from Catholics entering the church was «an unfortunate excess (that) is already having major repercussions around the world».
«Home Front Command guidelines restrict meetings to 50 people or less. The four representatives of the Church Catholic were well below that limit,» he wrote. «That the Patriarch was barred from entering the church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is hard to understand or justify.».
In messages published in French, Hebrew and Arabic, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Christians of the Holy Land, stating that «the free exercise of worship in Jerusalem must be guaranteed for all religions.».
«I condemn this decision by the Israeli police, which adds to the alarming proliferation of violations of the status quo of the Holy Places in Jerusalem,» he wrote.
The Spanish government
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has criticized the US-Israel-led war against Iran, directly blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the incident, stating that he «prevented Catholics from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Holy Places in Jerusalem. Without any explanation. Without reason or motive.
«The government of Spain condemns this unjustified attack against religious freedom and demands that Israel respects the diversity of beliefs and international law. Because without tolerance, coexistence is impossible,» he wrote.
Kaja Kallas, head of European Union diplomacy, said that preventing Cardinal Pizzaballa and Father Ielpo from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was «a violation of religious freedom and existing protections governing holy sites.».
«Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all religions,» he wrote in X. «The multi-religious character of Jerusalem must be protected.».
Polish President Karol Nawrocki also used Channel X to express his strong opposition to «the refusal to allow the celebration of Holy Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.».
«Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, and Christians prepare for the resurrection of Jesus Christ,» wrote the Polish president, who is Catholic .
«The actions of the Israeli police, which I condemn, are a sign of disrespect for Christian tradition and culture.»
Netanyahu's traditional allies also voiced unusual criticism, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who called the situation «painful.».
«This is unacceptable for us as Christians, even taking into account the war situation and general security measures,» he wrote. «We must not allow war to exclude the followers of any religion from our common holy city, Jerusalem.».
Easing tensions
In response to the incident, Israel's prime minister's office noted in a series of tweets that Iran «has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of the three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles» and that fragments of a missile from one of the attacks crashed near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
He explained that the police prevented Cardinal Pizzaballa and Father Ielpo from entering the church «out of special concern for their safety» and affirmed that «there was no malicious intent».
«However, given the sanctity of the week before Passover for Christians around the world, Israel's security services are drawing up a plan to allow religious leaders to worship at the holy site in the coming days.»
Several hours later, in a post on his personal X account, Netanyahu said he had instructed the authorities to grant Cardinal Pizzaballa «full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.».
«While I understand this concern, as soon as I learned of the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to allow the Patriarch to hold religious services as he wished,» he wrote.
In response to Netanyahu's publication, Huckabee said he was glad that Netanyahu «intervened personally and quickly to allow Cardinal Pizzaballa access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.».
«All holy sites have restrictions due to Iranian missiles and security concerns, but private access on Palm Sunday was reasonable and the problem is now resolved,» the U.S. ambassador tweeted.
Cardinal Pizzaballa also tried to calm things down after the incident. In an interview with TV2000, the television channel owned by the Italian Bishops« Conference, the Latin patriarch affirmed that the incident was the result of a »misunderstanding".
«There were no confrontations; everything took place with a lot of courtesy. I don't want to force things; we want to take advantage of this situation to better clarify in the coming days what to do, respecting everyone's safety, but also the right to prayer,» he said.
He also noted that, while the Palm Sunday incident was important, it should be seen in «a broader context».
«There are people who are in a much worse situation than we are and who cannot celebrate for very different reasons,» he said. «Once again, we celebrate a sober Easter.».
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