Catholic cardinal barred from entering Jerusalem's Church of Holy Sepulchre
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The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said it was "the first time in centuries" that heads of the church were unable to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass at the sacred site.
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World Catholic Church, European leaders condemn Israeli police for stopping cardinal from Jerusalem's Church of Holy Sepulchre March 29, 2026 / 10:28 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google The Catholic Church and European leaders are criticizing Israeli police after they prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a Palm Sunday Mass. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement that Pizzaballa and Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo were prevented from entering the church "as they made their way to celebrate" the Mass. "As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," the statement said. "This incident is a grave precedent and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world, who during this week, look to Jerusalem." The Israeli police told the Agence France-Presse that they had received a request from Pizzaballa and "it was clarified that it could not be approved" because of these restrictions, and noted that Jerusalem's Old City is "a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles" in case of a "mass casualty incident." Police did not specify what the request entailed. The Patriarchate's statement said Pizzaballa and Ielpo were stopped while proceeding privately, not as part of a procession or ceremonial act, and had to turn back. The organization said preventing their entry "constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure" and called the Israeli police's decision "hasty and fundamentally flawed" and "tainted by improper considerations." Israeli police said that all holy sites in Jerusalem have been closed since the start of the war in Iran . Israeli officials have banned large gatherings, including at religious sites, and limited public gatherings to around 50 people. A trad...
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