Israeli police block Latin Patriarch from Palm Sunday mass in Jerusalem

Israeli police have blocked the head of the Catholic church in Jerusalem from entering Christianity's holiest site to celebrate Palm Sunday.

The Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Reverend Francesco Ielpo were stopped outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - believed to be the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, and where they planned to hold a mass to mark the start of Holy Week, church authorities said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited safety concerns over recent Iranian attacks for the decision, before telling authorities to grant the cardinal "full and immediate" access.

The move had drawn strong criticism from global leaders as well as the church.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said it was an "unfortunate overreach" that was "difficult to understand or justify".

Cardinal Pizzaballa's office said it was "the first time in centuries" a Latin Patriarch had been turned away from the holy site on Palm Sunday, which marks Christ's return to Jerusalem.

He and Rev Ielpo had been "compelled" to turn back from the church, where Christ was also believed to have been buried and subsequently resurrected, it 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," a statement from the patriarchate said.

"This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the status quo."

The patriarchate said it had followed all "imposed restrictions" and acted responsibly since the war began, adding that Sunday's decision was "a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure".

Cardinal Pizzaballa later said while he did "not want to force the issue", "we had not asked for anything public, just a brief and small private ceremony".

"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 added.

Netanyahu said worshippers of "all faiths" had been asked not to visit sites in Jerusalem's Old City, which had been subject to strikes from Iran, and that police had acted out of "special" safety concerns in this instance.

The traditional Palm Sunday procession into the city had already been cancelled due to restrictions on public gatherings.

Israeli police said all holy sites in the Old City had been closed to worshippers since the US-Israel war against Iran began on 28 February for security reasons, and that it had rejected the patriarchate's request for a Palm Sunday exemption.

Netanyahu said holy sites belonging to Christian, Jewish and Muslim worshippers and been "repeatedly targeted" by Iranian missile strikes in recent days.

"In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre," he said in a statement on X, adding that Sunday's decision involved "no malicious intent whatsoever".

A plan was being drawn up to allow church leaders to worship at the site in the coming days, he said.

Then, late on Sunday night, Netanyahu announced he had instructed relevant authorities to grant the Latin Patriarch "full and immediate access" to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre so he can "hold services as he wishes".

Huckabee noted the two clergymen had attempted to enter the church privately without a procession, and that the current rules concerned religious gatherings of more than 50 people.

However, he welcomed Israeli government efforts to address the situation and facilitate other Holy Week activities.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the move was "an offence not only against believers but against every community that recognises religious freedom", while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he had summoned Israel's ambassador to Italy for an explanation.

French President Emmanuel Macron likewise condemned the move and said it came in the context of "the worrying increase in violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem".

"Freedom to hold religious rites in Jerusalem must be ensured for all religions," he said in a statement on X.

And Pope Leo XIV, speaking in Rome on Sunday, paid tribute to "the Christians of the Middle East, who suffer the consequences of a terrible conflict and in many cases cannot fully live the rites of these holy days".

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he had called Cardinal Pizzaballa to express his "great sorrow" over the "unfortunate incident".

He said he had also reaffirmed "Israel's unwavering commitment to freedom of religion for all faiths and to upholding the status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem".