Jerusalem's Christians urge church leaders to challenge harsh Israeli restrictions

Jerusalem's Christians urge church leaders to challenge harsh Israeli restrictions Submitted by Peter Oborne on Tue, 03/31/2026 - 14:23 Palestinians say Israel is using war as an excuse to assert control over Old City's holy sites after Catholic Patriarch was denied entry to Church of the Holy Sepulchre Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, leads a Palm Sunday service at the Church of All Nations on 29 March 2026 (AFP) Off Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, has been the subject of a wave of global sympathy after Israeli forces stopped him on the way to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday. But on our visit to the ancient church in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City the next day, we discovered that some, at least, of the cardinal’s flock feel rather less warmly towards the patriarch. For weeks since Israel joined the US in attacking Iran , the Old City has been mostly closed off to visitors, with Israeli security forces stationed at the gates and restricting access to the holy sites.