Good Friday Ceremony Held in Jerusalem, Israel, With Public Barred From Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City hosted a scaled-down Good Friday ceremony under Israeli restrictions on attendance. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem led the Liturgy of the Passion of Christ at Calvary, with around 15 clergy members taking part inside the basilica, which is traditionally believed to be the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial. The public was barred from attending because of sweeping Israeli restrictions across occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, which affected both churches and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

A day earlier, Pierbattista Pizzaballa led Holy Thursday prayers at the same church with similarly limited attendance. Speaking during that service, he pointed to rising tensions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran and to restrictions on freedom of worship. “Outside, the doors of the Holy Sepulchre are closed,” he said. “War has turned this place into a refuge, an inside cut off from an outside weighed down by tension.” His words about the church as a place of shelter in a tense city point toward the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).

The restrictions drew wider attention the previous week, when Israeli forces stopped Pizzaballa en route to the church for Palm Sunday prayers. He and Father Francesco Ielpo, Custos of the Holy Land, were denied entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a move that sparked global condemnation. Church authorities in Jerusalem said it was the first time in centuries that senior Catholic leaders had been prevented from marking Palm Sunday at the site. “This incident is a grave precedent, and disregards the sensibilities of billions of people around the world who, during this week, look to Jerusalem,” they said. The move drew criticism from several European countries, including France, Spain and Italy.

Following the backlash, Israeli police said they would allow a “limited prayer framework” for Good Friday and Easter.

Some Palestinian Christians, however, told Middle East Eye that they expected a stronger response from church leaders. One shopkeeper, who spoke anonymously for safety reasons, said Pizzaballa should have challenged the soldiers who blocked his entry. “He should have found a way,” the shopkeeper said. “If necessary, he should have prayed in the street.” The shopkeeper added that the cleric had been wrong to allow the church to be drawn into negotiations with Israeli authorities over access to holy sites.

The source notes that Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem since 1967 is widely regarded as illegal under international law, a position the International Court of Justice reaffirmed in 2024.

For weeks, since Israel and the United States launched their assault on Iran, the Old City has been largely closed to visitors. Israeli forces have been stationed at its gates, restricting access to key religious sites.

Source: Read the original report