Outrage Explodes After Israeli Police Block Catholic Leaders From Palm Sunday Mass At Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre

International outrage erupted on Sunday morning when Israeli police stopped Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Fr. Francesco Ielpo, the Custos of the Holy Land, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. The incident occurred as the two church leaders were walking privately to the site, which is revered as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. Church officials described the event as the first time in centuries that senior Catholic figures had been barred from conducting this liturgy at the church. Cardinal Pizzaballa has served as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020. In this role, he leads the Catholic Church in the Holy Land and oversees pastoral care for Catholics in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jord