A Palm Sunday standoff that barred Christian leaders ignited the rage within U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, which led the a solution for the issue.
On Palm Sunday, one of Christianity’s holiest days, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Father Francesco Ielpo, two of the leading Catholic figures in the region were banned from praying at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, according to the Times of Israel.
On Monday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land said religious services for Easter and Holy Week “have been addressed and resolved” after a meeting with Israeli officials.
Israel had insisted that Iranian missile attacks were the reason for the Palm Sunday prohibition on prayers.
Huckabee was irate over that action and blasted out his opinion for all the world to read on X.
“While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings including the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Al Aqsa Mosque, the action today by the Israel Nat’l Police to deny Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and 3 other priests from entering the Church to offer a blessing on Palm Sunday is an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world,” Huckabee posted.
My statement re Prohibiting the Latin Patriarch of entering Church of Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday:
While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings including the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Al Aqsa Mosque, the action…— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) March 29, 2026
Huckabee noted that at a time Israel limited gathered to 50 people or fewer, there should have been no objection to allowing four people to pray at the site.
“For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify,” he wrote.
Huckabee noted that the incident drew an apology from Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Herzog said on X he expressed his “great sorrow” to the Patriarch.
That was followed by a post from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I have instructed the relevant authorities that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch, be granted full and immediate access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem,” he posted.
“Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles. In one strike, missile fragments crashed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. To protect worshippers, Israel asked members of all faiths to temporarily abstain from worshipping at the Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City.
“Today, out of special concern for his safety, Cardinal Pizzaballa was asked to refrain from holding mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Even though I understand this concern, as soon as I learned about the incident with Cardinal Pizzaballa, I instructed the authorities to enable the Patriarch to hold services as he wishes.”
Huckabee praised all those who worked to resolve the situation.
“Kudos to @israelpolice for resolving misunderstanding regarding access to Church of Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday. There is equal access for ALL faiths & equal guidelines for safety,” he posted on X.
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