Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed the relevant authorities to grant Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, “full and immediate access” to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The statement came after the Latin Patriarchate said the cardinal had been stopped by Israeli police while walking privately toward the church, where he was preparing to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass together with the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo. According to the Patriarchate, it was “the first time in centuries” that the Church’s clergy had been prevented from celebrating the rite at one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
In his post on X, Netanyahu also accused Iran of repeatedly targeting Jerusalem’s holy sites over recent days with ballistic missiles, saying that in one attack missile fragments fell just a few meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The incident prompted strong international reactions. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what happened as “an attack on religious freedom.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog also expressed regret, saying he had called Pizzaballa to convey his “deep sorrow over the unfortunate incident.”
Following the backlash, Netanyahu’s office said it would work on a plan to ensure Christian religious celebrations can take place at the holy sites during the upcoming holidays.