After strong criticism, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered that the highest representative of the Catholic Church in Israel be granted access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
March 30, 2026, 07:22March 30, 2026, 07:22
Netanyahu wrote on Platform
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Image: keystone
Pizzaballa was prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem by Israeli police on Sunday. The Italian wanted to celebrate the traditional Palm Sunday mass in the church, but was stopped by Israeli police officers and asked to turn back, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said. It described the incident as a “serious precedent”.
Sharp criticism of the approach
Several high-ranking politicians strongly condemned the action. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that preventing Pizzaballa from entering was an “insult not only to believers, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom.”
Union foreign politician Armin Laschet described the incident as unacceptable. “Forbidding the Pope’s representative from visiting the holiest site in Christianity during Holy Week breaks with a centuries-old tradition of free access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,” said the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag to the German Press Agency.
Police cited security reasons
Israeli police said in a statement that all holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem are currently closed for security reasons due to the Iran war – especially those that “do not have standard shelters to ensure public safety.”
Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked not to hold a mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher out of particular concern for his safety, Netanyahu wrote. Recently, rocket fragments struck just a few meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Although he could understand this concern, he had instructed the authorities to allow the cardinal to hold the services according to his wishes. (sda/dpa)