Israeli authorities closed Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher as part of wider closures for security concerns effective 28 February, when Israel and the United States launched attacks against Iran.

Joseph Hazboun, regional director of the office of CNEWA/Pontifical Mission for Palestine in Jerusalem, said the decision was framed as a precaution against potential attacks and to prevent mass gatherings during a period of heightened alert.

Mr. Hazboun said although other churches remained open, he expected the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which contains the tomb of Lord Jesus, to remain closed “until the end of the war and the cessation of rocket fire from Iran on Israel.”

Holy Week begins 29 March, and Mr. Hazboun said he expects services for Holy Week and Easter will be celebrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with religious and clergy only, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Holy Sepulcher is governed by the Status Quo, the 19th-century agreement that governs Jerusalem’s holy places. The church has services for Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Coptic, Syriac and Ethiopian Orthodox worshipers.

“The church leaders intend to meet with representative of the police to impress on them the need to allow Easter celebrations, even if at a reduced capacity, similar to the pandemic restrictions,” said Sami el-Yousef, chief executive officer of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. “We shall see whether that will bear any results.”