The ongoing military conflict in the Middle East continues to have repercussions across the wider region, with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem announcing that it is carrying out its ecclesiastical and administrative obligations under heightened caution.
In a recent incident that was quickly disseminated around the world, missile debris fell near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem — one of the pre-eminent Christian pilgrimages in the world.
The debris was ostensibly from an intercepted missile fired at Israel, either from Iran or Hezbollah, in southern Israel, part of retaliatory strikes by the latter after punishing strikes against Iranian military targets and the country’s leadership.
Major religious sites in the Old City, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall, have been temporarily closed to the public to prevent large assemblies.
According to reports from the Holy Land, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has spoken with the Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos III regarding the situation and in recognition of the importance attributed to the sacred city’s religious institutions.
Sunday April, 5 is Palm Sunday on the Orthodox Christian religious calendar this year, with Holy Week beginning the next day. Easter Sunday (Pascha) is celebrated on April 12, 2026.
