Portugal Criticizes Blocked Entry of Latin Patriarch to Holy Sepulchre
The Portuguese Foreign Ministry said on the social media platform X that "The obstruction of access for Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the Palm Sunday celebrations, which were only to be broadcast, deserves deep condemnation."
The ministry further urged Israeli authorities "to guarantee and uphold freedom of religion and worship."
Israeli police had prevented the Latin patriarch from entering the church to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass. According to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Pizzaballa and the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, were stopped while traveling privately to the church and “compelled to turn back.”
The patriarchate noted that this marked the first time in centuries that church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday—the start of Holy Week leading to Easter—at the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s most venerated sites.
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