Israeli officials sought to make amends after Catholic Church leaders in Jerusalem were denied entrance on Palm Sunday to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher amid security concerns.
The Jewish state, which has been under repeated missile attack from Iran and restricted many public gatherings, issued an apology and ordered access to the church immediately.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized after police turned away Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Rev. Francesco Ielpo and two other priests, calling it an “unfortunate incident” and reaffirming Israel’s commitment to “freedom of religion for all faiths.”
“I just called the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to express my great sorrow over this morning’s unfortunate incident in the Old City of Jerusalem, in which Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, were prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for prayers amid the ongoing security situation,” Mr. Herzog said in a Sunday statement on X.
Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered police to grant the Latin Patriarchate “full and immediate access” to the church, revered as the location where Jesus was crucified and the holiest site in Christianity.
The decision by Israeli police to turn away the Latin Patriarchate drew international condemnation from leaders including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Mr. Huckabee said that blocking the Patriarch’s access to the church was an “unfortunate overreach” that was “difficult to understand or justify,” but later accepted Mr. Herzog’s apology.
“I’m grateful for the conciliatory & gracious statement by President @Isaac_Herzog regarding the unfortunate Palm Sunday incident at Church of Holy Sepulcher,” Mr. Huckabee said in a statement on X.
I’m grateful for the conciliatory & gracious statement by President @Isaac_Herzog regarding the unfortunate Palm Sunday incident at Church of Holy Sepulcher. https://t.co/NMR1B2dFNx
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 29, 2026
Mr. Netanyahu said Iranian ballistic missiles have repeatedly targeted religious sites in Jerusalem in the last few days, at one point sending missile fragments hitting “meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”
“To protect worshippers, Israel asked members of all faiths to temporarily abstain from worshipping at the Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City,” Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement on X.
“Today, out of special concern for his safety, Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked to refrain from holding mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” the prime minister explained.
Despite those concerns, he said that “as soon as I learned about the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to enable the Patriarch to hold services as he wishes.”
The Latin Patriarchate had canceled the annual Palm Sunday procession in compliance with Israeli military guidelines limiting entrance to parties of fewer than 50.
But the four priests had arrived to worship “without any characteristics of a procession or a ceremonial act.”
Even so, they were stopped en route and told to turn back, according to a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate and the Custody of the Holy Land.
“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,” said the Sunday statement. “This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.”
By the end of the day, tensions appeared to have eased.
In an interview with TV2000, Cardinal Pizzaballa said the group had sought to conduct “a brief and small private ceremony to preserve the idea of the celebration in the Holy Sepulchre.”
“There were no clashes; everything was done in a very polite manner,” said the cardinal, as translated by the Catholic Sat media outlet. “I do not want to force the issue; we want to use this situation to try to clarify better in the coming days what to do, in respect for everyone’s safety but also in respect for the right to prayer.”
He blamed the incident in part on “misunderstandings” and communication difficulties.
“There were misunderstandings, we didn’t understand each other, and that’s what happened,” the cardinal said. “It’s never happened before; it’s a shame this happened. This morning’s events are important, but we must consider the broader context. There are people who are much worse off than us who cannot celebrate for very different reasons. Once again, we are celebrating a subdued Easter.”
Palm Sunday commemorates the day that Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, his triumphant entry hailed by crowds waving palm branches and cheering, “Hosanna,” or “Save us.”
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which ends on Easter Sunday, the day that Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified, as told in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
