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 he had instructed relevant authorities to ensure Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa be given “full and immediate access” to the church. Pizzaballa had been stopped by Israeli police 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 stat
