REPORT: Israel bars Catholic officials from praying at holy site on Palm Sunday, outraging US Ambassador Mike Huckabee

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From the New York Post: Israel barred Catholic officials from privately praying at a historic Jerusalem church for the first time in centuries over security concerns involving the war — sparking outcry from US Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

Catholic higher-ups were already told they could not hold Mass at the city’s famed Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried, on the Palm Sunday.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco Ielpo, who oversees the sacred site, as well as two other priests were then on their way to the church for private prayer when they were halted by Israeli police early Sunday, Catholic officials said.

While Huckabee said it is reasonable for large gatherings to be put on pause amid Iran’s retaliatory bombardments, the US ambassador to Israel contended it is unacceptable for Israeli police to stop the four clergymen from making their own private visit to the church in Jersualem’s Old City.

In a post on X Sunday, Huckabee released the following statement:

My statement re Prohibiting the Latin Patriarch of entering Church of Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday:

While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings including the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Al Aqsa Mosque, the action today by the Israel Nat’l Police to deny Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and 3 other priests from entering the Church to offer a blessing on Palm Sunday is an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.

Home Front Command Guidelines restrict any gatherings to 50 people or less. The 4 representatives of the Catholic Church were well below that restriction. Statements from the Gov’t of Israel indicate the action to prohibit Cardinal Pizzaballa entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were for safety reasons, but churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Jerusalem have met with the restrictions of 50 or less.

For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify. Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities.

Huckabee’s statement got the attention of top officials in Israel, who quickly worked to resolve the situation, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who wrote:

I just called the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to express my great sorrow over this morning’s unfortunate incident in the Old City of Jerusalem, in which Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, were prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for prayers amid the ongoing security situation.

I clarified that the incident stemmed from security concerns due to the continuous threat of missile attacks from the Iranian terror regime against the civilian population in Israel, following previous incidents in which Iranian missiles fell in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem in recent days.

I reaffirmed the State of Israel’s unwavering commitment to freedom of religion for all faiths and to upholding the status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem.

Huckabee replied, “I’m grateful for the conciliatory & gracious statement by President @Isaac_Herzog regarding the unfortunate Palm Sunday incident at Church of Holy Sepulcher.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also rushed to right the wrong. He wrote:

I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

To protect worshippers, Israel asked members of all faiths to temporarily abstain from worshipping at the Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Today, out of special concern for his safety, Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked to refrain from holding mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Even though I understand this concern, as soon as I learned about the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to enable the Patriarch to hold services as he wishes.

Ambassador Huckabee replied, “Glad @IsraeliPM personally & promptly intervened to allow Cardinal Pizzaballa access to Church of Holy Sepulcher. ALL holy sites have restrictions due to Iranian missiles & safety issues, but private access on Palm Sunday was reasonable & issue now resolved. TY @IsraeliPM.”

The Israel Police also apologized:

READ MORE from the New York Post.

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