Israeli authorities bar RCC bishop from entering Church of Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Photo: Vatican News
On March 29, 2026, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, together with the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, was stopped by Israeli police on Palm Sunday while attempting to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate the liturgy. This was reported by the press service of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Catholic hierarchs were heading to the church privately, without any signs of an official procession. Israeli security forces turned them back and refused to let them proceed. According to the Patriarchate, this marked the first time in centuries that a Catholic hierarch was unable to celebrate a service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on one of the principal feasts of Lent. Catholic leaders described the measure as “manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate."
As the UOJ previously reported, the Churches of Jerusalem had appealed to Netanyahu over Easter services.
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