In a shocking and painful scene, the occupation authorities in Jerusalem have prevented Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Custos of the Holy Land Father Francesco Ilpo from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate Palm Sunday Mass, which the Catholic Church marks.

How troubling this image is: A patriarch on his way to pray, comes only to find the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher shut in his face, and to be told to return to his patriarchate. It is a heartbreaking scene that raises serious questions about what the holy city has come to.

 It is painful that things have reached this point, where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where Palm Sunday services were continuously held for centuries or possibly  since its very construction, is deprived of this sacred celebration in such a tragic way. This is the consequence of war, violence, occupation, and the missing instability that has come to mark this suffering region. What a strange irony it is that on the day when believers raise olive branches as symbols of peace on Palm Sunday, the Patriarch and the Custos of the Holy Land are denied entry to the church.

What has happened cannot be separated from a broader reality, namely Muslims were prevented from going to Al-Aqsa Mosque during Eid al-Fitr, and now the Patriarch of Jerusalem is banned from going to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. What a time is this, where freedom of worship is violated in such a way? And what arrogance that disregards religious freedom and the historic “status quo” agreed upon for centuries?

The joint statement issued by the Latin Patriarchate and the Custody of the Holy Land was clear by calling things by their name and describing what happened as an inappropriate and a reckless behavior.

 Despite all claims suggesting that Christians in Jerusalem and Palestine live comfortably, yet the painful truth indicates that they endure the same suffering as their Muslim brothers do, in a land that continues to bleed painfully and awaits a healing that has yet to come. It is a land yearning for joy, namely the joy of healing, the joy of freedom, the joy of independence, as well as the joy of practising religious rites freely and safely. Yet, this joy remains absent, or let us say with a touch of hope, it is postponed.

Despite this, the Church remains a witness to hope and to the Resurrection of  Lord Christ, who walked the path of the Cross. As Christ carried His Cross, believers today carry their own heavy crosses, awaiting the dawn of resurrection and holding fast to the belief that no matter how long the night is, freedom and peace will come.”

We conclude with the words of Ahmad Shawqi’s address before General Allenby as he was about to enter Jerusalem:

“O conqueror of Jerusalem, set aside your sword, the cross was not made of iron, but of wood. If you reflect on how far its hand extended, and how its authority went beyond all limits, you would realize that behind weakness lies great power, and that triumph belongs not to force, but to truth.