Cardinal, Custos Prevented from Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in Jerusalem

Jerusalem, March 29, 2026 — Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Franciscan Fr. Francesco Ielpo from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in what Church leaders have described as a “grave precedent.”

According to a joint statement from Catholic leaders in Israel, the incident occurred amid escalating tensions in the Holy Land. Authorities stopped the two senior Church officials en route to the holy site, despite their travelling privately and not as part of any public procession. They were compelled to turn back.

For the first time in centuries, the heads of the Church were unable to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—one of Christianity’s most sacred locations, traditionally believed to encompass both Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb from which he rose.

Church authorities condemned the action as “manifestly unreasonable” and “grossly disproportionate,” expressing “profound sorrow” for Christians in the Holy Land and worldwide. The statement noted that the prevention of prayer on one of the most sacred days in the Christian calendar had deeply affected the faithful.

The incident comes against the backdrop of ongoing restrictions on religious activities during the current conflict, which recently marked one month. While Church leaders have complied with imposed limitations—cancelling public gatherings, restricting attendance, and arranging broadcasts of liturgies—the latest development has intensified concern.

Earlier in the week, Cardinal Pizzaballa had already announced the cancellation of the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City, a reenactment of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. However, Church officials stressed that the priests were stopped even though no procession was taking place.

In their statement, Church leaders emphasised that they had acted responsibly since the onset of the conflict, adhering fully to restrictions. They underscored that preventing the Cardinal and the Custos—who hold the highest ecclesiastical responsibilities for the Holy Places—from entering the church represents a serious violation of religious freedom and long-standing arrangements governing access to sacred sites.

Describing the decision as “hasty and fundamentally flawed,” the statement criticised it as a departure from principles of reasonableness, respect for the Status Quo, and freedom of worship.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land reiterated their sorrow, noting that millions of Christians worldwide look to Jerusalem during Holy Week, making the incident particularly significant for the global Church.

Cardinal, Custos Prevented from Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in Jerusalem

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