Netanyahu orders access to Jerusalem church after cardinal barred

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered authorities to grant the Catholic Church’s top representative in the Holy Land immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after police blocked him, prompting sharp criticism.

Netanyahu said on X on Sunday that he had instructed relevant authorities to ensure Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa be given “full and immediate access” to the church.

Israeli police had stopped Pizzaballa on Sunday as he attempted to enter the church in Jerusalem’s Old City to celebrate Palm Sunday mass, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, calling the incident a “grave precedent.”

The move sparked condemnation abroad. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said denying entry was “an insult not only to the faithful, but also to every community recognizing freedom of worship.”

German lawmaker Armin Laschet, who chairs the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, called the incident unacceptable, telling dpa it broke with a centuries-old tradition of free access to Christianity’s holiest site during Holy Week.

The Greek Foreign Ministry stated that it was following developments “with deep concern.” It emphasized that the status quo of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre “must be fully respected by all and in good faith.”

“This assumes additional importance in view of the upcoming Easter celebrations,” the statement added.

The Spanish government summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Madrid to “make it clear that something like this must not happen again,” Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced.

Israeli police said access to holy sites in the Old City had been restricted for security reasons linked to the Iran war, particularly at locations lacking standard protective shelters.

Netanyahu said the cardinal had been advised not to hold mass due to safety concerns after rocket debris landed just metres from the church.

While acknowledging those risks, he said authorities had now been instructed to allow services to proceed in line with the cardinal’s wishes.