Jerusalem police on Sunday blocked Catholic religious leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, preventing them from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in what the Latin Patriarchate described as the first such prohibition in centuries.
The Latin Patriarchate called the move “absurd and flagrantly disproportionate,” citing the barring of the Cardinal and Costus — who bear the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Land — from the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
According to a statement by the Patriarchate cited by the Associated Press, it marks the first time in centuries that Church clergy have been prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the holy site.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, had outlined in a letter dated March 22 how Holy Week and Easter services were expected to be conducted amid the war. The letter, issued by the supreme authority of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land and published under the title “Jerusalem: Holy Week Behind Closed Doors,” detailed the instructions and restrictions that would apply during the Easter period, with the aim of ensuring the safety and spiritual unity of the faithful.
Pope Leo on Sunday issued a rare and sharply worded rebuke of political leaders who wage war, saying God rejects the prayers of those who “stain their hands with blood,” as the conflict involving Iran enters its second month.
Speaking to tens of thousands of worshippers gathered in St. Peter’s Square for Catholic Palm Sunday, the pontiff said the name of Jesus must not be invoked to justify violence or armed conflict.
