A service takes place in an empty Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, in November 2023. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPAIsraeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he is restoring access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after police prevented a Catholic leader from holding Mass on Palm Sunday, prompting international backlash. Netanyahu said Iran has repeatedly targeted holy sites in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles, including a strike that sent fragments close to the church. “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 patriarchate said. “Freedom of worship in Jerusalem must be fully guaranteed, without exception, for all faiths,” the EU’s Kallas said.

Source: The Irish Times March 30, 2026 10:59 UTC