On Sunday, Israeli forces prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Franciscan Father Francesco Ielpo, the official guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where they intended to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass.

“The two were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and were compelled to turn back,” said a joint statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Franciscan 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,” the statement said.

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Due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the United States against Iran, most religious sites in the Holy Land have been closed to visitors because of Iranian attacks. However, religious services have continued to be performed by clergy from all religions.

The Catholic leaders said this latest incident “is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.”

The statement noted the heads of the Churches in the Holy Land have acted with full responsibility and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions. They pointed out public gatherings were cancelled, attendance was prohibited, and arrangements were made to broadcast the celebrations to hundreds of millions of faithful worldwide, who, during these days of Easter, “turn their eyes to Jerusalem and to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.”

“Preventing the entry of the Cardinal and the Custos, who bear the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Places, constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure,” the Catholic leaders 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,” mentioning the agreements made in the 19^th century regulating how various sites are treated in the Holy Land.

“The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land express their profound sorrow to the Christian faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world that prayer on one of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar has thus been prevented,” the statement said.

Following the incident, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that the Israeli ambassador to Italy would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the situation.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a statement describing what happened as “an offence to the faithful.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying all “safety and precautionary instructions in the Old City are” a direct result of Iranian missile fire.

“As is known, the Iranian regime has fired on the Old City on multiple occasions, striking sites in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Western Wall,” the statement on the X social media site said.

“In light of this, and in order to protect the lives of worshippers of all faiths, precautionary instructions have been issued for all holy sites of all religions, and mass gatherings are not possible,” the Israeli office continued.

“The concern over a mass-casualty event in the Old City is particularly acute given the area’s density and the difficulty of deploying first responders in such an incident. The police will meet with Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and work to explore solutions that allow for as normal a routine as possible while ensuring public safety,” the statement said.