Jerusalem. Israeli police prevent the Patriarch from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass

Jerusalem - This morning, Palm Sunday, 29 March 2026, an episode of particular gravity marked the beginning of Holy Week in Jerusalem. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land have stated that the Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Fr Francesco Ielpo, OFM, from entering the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre for the celebration of Holy Mass.
The two men, who represent the highest Catholic authorities in the Holy Land and at the Holy Places, were making their way to the church privately, without corteges, processions or any outward ceremonial signs. It was during this journey, according to the statement, that they were stopped and forced to turn back. The consequence, the communiqué underlines, is of the utmost seriousness: for the first time in centuries, the heads of the Catholic Church were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulchre, the central place of Christian memory.
Palm Sunday opens the …