JUST IN: Israeli Police prevented Cardinal Pizzaballa from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre today, as he went to say Mass.
@LPJerusalem calls it a “grave precedent” which “constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.”
Full statement from @LPJerusalem below
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Joint Press Release
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land
Holy City of Jerusalem
Palm Sunday, 29 March 2026
This morning, the Israeli Police prevented the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Head of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, together with the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, OFM, the official Guardian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, as they made their way to celebrate the Palm Sunday Mass.
The two were stopped en route, while proceeding privately and without any characteristics of a procession or ceremonial act, and were compelled to turn back. 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.
This incident is a grave precedent,and disregard the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem.
The Heads of the Churches have acted with full responsibility and, since the outset of the war, have complied with all imposed restrictions: public gatherings were cancelled, attendance was prohibited, and arrangements were made to broadcast the celebrations to hundreds of millions of faithful worldwide, who, during these days of Easter, turn their eyes to Jerusalem and to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Preventing the entry of the Cardinal and the Custos, who bear the highest ecclesiastical responsibility for the Catholic Church and the Holy Places, constitutes a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.
This hasty and fundamentally flawed decision, tainted by improper considerations, represents an extreme departure from basic principles of reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for the Status Quo.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land express their profound sorrow to the Christian faithful in the Holy Land and throughout the world that prayer on one of the most sacred days of the Christian calendar has thus been prevented.
#SaintJoseph cared for the family that the Lord entrusted to him. Guardianship means being attentive to others, respecting their choices, and caring for them. St. Joseph shows us that presence and guardianship are inseparable dimensions: we can only care for others by being present, and we are only present when we assume responsibility for the other.
It's astonishing to witness the improvement in public education--reading, math, attendance, grad rates--in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. But we're busy fighting culture wars rather than scaling up what these three states have done. Please do read: https://t.co/h20UCdCP2w
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✍🏾: #TSRStaffLG
Derrick Henry on his teammate Tyler Loop:
"I feel for Tyler. I just told him to keep his spirits up, deal with it tonight and then tomorrow the sun rises again. I just told him the story after this is gonna be great for him because God put him in this position to use him as an example. Can't wait to see him overcome it on the other side. I just told him to trust God's plan, man. He wouldn't have him put in this position if he wasn't strong enough to handle it."
via @Ravens
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