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 - where Jesus Christ was allegedly crucified and where they planned to hold a mass to mark the start of Holy Week, church authorities said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said worshippers of 'all faiths' had been asked not to visit sites in Jerusalem's Old City for safety reasons after recent Iranian attacks.
However, the action has drawn strong criticism from global leaders as well as the church. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, described it as an 'unfortunate overreach' that is 'difficult to understand or justify'.
Cardinal Pizzaballa's office remarked it was the 'first time in centuries' a Latin Patriarch had been turned away from the holy site on Palm Sunday, which commemorates Christ's return to Jerusalem.
Netanyahu defended the police's actions as necessary safety measures, citing recent Iranian missile strikes targeting holy sites. Nonetheless, key religious and international figures have expressed deep concern over the incident, emphasizing the importance of ensuring freedom of worship in Jerusalem.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron joined the condemnation of the police's decision, underscoring that religious rites must be respected for all faiths.
The incident not only highlighted the strained religious sentiments in the region but also raised questions about the future of multi-faith worship at the sacred sites of Jerusalem.
