Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa

Rule Changes

Blocked from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Holy Sepulchre

For roughly 270 years, under Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and Israeli rule, a delicate arrangement called the "status quo" has kept worship running at Jerusalem's holiest sites — even through wars and occupations. On Palm Sunday 2026, Israeli police broke that streak by physically turning away Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the senior Catholic leader in Jerusalem, from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Only four church representatives were trying to enter, walking privately without any procession.

Updated 3 hours ago