This morning, Israeli police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa , Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Monsignor Francesco Ielpo, official Custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, while they were on their way to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. The two were stopped along the way , while traveling privately and without any procession or ceremony, and were forced to turn back.
With a note, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has given the green light to a storm that will continue throughout the day between Rome and Jerusalem, passing through Paris.
"This incident," the Patriarchate continues, "constitutes a grave precedent and ignores the sensitivities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem." "The Heads of the Churches have acted with full responsibility," it continues, "and, since the beginning of the war, have complied with all the restrictions imposed : public gatherings have been cancelled, participation has been prohibited, and arrangements have been made to broadcast the celebrations to hundreds of millions of faithful around the world, who, in these days of Easter, turn their gaze to Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre." "Preventing entry to the Cardinal and the Custos, who hold the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Places," it continues, "constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and disproportionate measure . This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme violation of the fundamental principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the status quo ." "The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land express their deep sorrow to the Christian faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world that prayer on one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar has been thus impeded," the statement concluded.
Pizzaballa: "Misunderstandings, never happened."
"There were misunderstandings, we didn't understand each other, and that's what happened. It never happened," Cardinal Pizzaballa told Tg2000 . "It's true that the police," he explained, "had said that orders from the internal command had prevented any kind of gathering in places where there is no shelter, but we hadn't asked for anything public, just a short, small, private ceremony to preserve the idea of celebrating in the Holy Sepulchre. There were no clashes. I don't want to force things, but the right to prayer must be respected."
Meloni: "An offense to believers."
The Italian government's reaction was immediate: " The Italian government expresses its closeness to Cardinal Pizzaballa, Father Ielpo, and the religious figures who were prevented today by the Israeli authorities from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in the Holy Sepulchre," declared Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. " The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is a sacred place of Christianity, and as such must be preserved and protected for the celebration of sacred rites ," she added. "Preventing the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custos of the Holy Land from entering, especially on a solemnity as central to the faith as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offense not only to believers, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom."
"I would like to express my deepest solidarity with the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, official Custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is unacceptable to have prevented them from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote in X. "I have immediately instructed our Ambassador to Israel to express our outrage to the Tel Aviv authorities and to reaffirm Italy's position in protecting religious freedom at all times and under all circumstances." And again: " I have instructed the Israeli Ambassador to be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tomorrow to seek clarification on the decision to prevent Cardinal Pizzaballa from celebrating Palm Sunday."
What happened in Jerusalem, commented Defense Minister Guido Crosetto , "is serious and deeply worrying. It is an unprecedented event, which affects not only the religious authorities involved, but millions of believers around the world. We are talking about one of the holiest places in Christianity, a universal symbol of faith, history, and spirituality."
From France, President Emmanuel Macron also reacted with firm "condemnation."
Police: "Security reasons." Netanyahu opens up.
"Since the beginning of Operation Lion's Roar, and in accordance with the directives of the Home Front Command, all holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem have been closed to worshippers, particularly those without secured areas, in order to safeguard public safety. The Patriarch's request was reviewed yesterday and it was clarified that it could not be granted for the reasons stated above." This was stated by the Israeli police.
"The Old City and the holy sites constitute a complex area that does not allow access to large rescue and emergency vehicles, which represents a significant challenge to rapid response capabilities and poses a real risk to human life in the event of an incident," the statement reads. "The police emphasize that freedom of worship will continue to be guaranteed, subject to necessary restrictions . Should there be any changes to the Home Front Command's directives, the police will reassess the situation, with the primary goal of protecting human life."
At the same time, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the police will meet with the Latin Patriarch and "will work to explore solutions that will allow for the maintenance of as normal a routine as possible, while ensuring public safety." "All security and precautionary measures in the Old City are a direct consequence of Iranian missile launches," the ministry stated. "As is well known, the Iranian regime has bombed the Old City on several occasions, hitting sites near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Western Wall."
Prime Minister Netanyahu's office also clarified: "There was no malicious intent, only concern for his safety and that of his entourage. Given the sacredness of the week preceding Easter for Christians around the world, Israeli security services are developing a plan to allow religious leaders to hold services at the holy site in the coming days ."
The ambassador: "Pizzaballa informed, conflict zone"
Cardinal Pizzaballa "had been informed" that entry to places of worship "was not permitted for security reasons," but the cardinal "decided not to respect our request. " The entry ban "was a necessary action; now we will try to understand if there is an alternative solution," Israeli Ambassador Jonathan Peled said this on "Diario della Domenica" on Rete4, emphasizing that Jerusalem "is a conflict zone" and therefore "the safety of human lives comes before freedom of worship."
The heart of Jerusalem's Old City for Christians is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known as the "Church of the Resurrection": inside are Calvary, the site of Jesus' crucifixion and death, and the Tomb of Christ. The Franciscans of the Order of Friars Minor are the custodians of the Holy Sepulchre on behalf of the Catholic Church, which they share with the Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.
(Unioneonline)