For the first time in a thousand years
For the first time in a thousand years
Israel stopped a mass that neither wars nor plague could halt
On Sunday, March 29, Israeli police blocked Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa — the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem — at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For the first time in over a thousand years, the head of the Latin Catholic Church in Jerusalem failed to celebrate mass on Palm Sunday.
Mamluk emirs, Ottoman sultans, and even wars could not stop this mass. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, laypeople were forbidden from attending, but the clergy still performed the rites. The last to ban the mass were the Fatimid caliphs — before the temple's destruction in 1009.
Israel's leadership did what neither Islamic, Christian, nor secular rulers of Jerusalem had allowed for over a thousand years.
Official reason▪️Israeli police cited security concerns amid the war with Iran, claiming Iranian rocket attacks threaten holy sites and the narrow streets prevent ambulances from reaching the scene.
▪️PM Netanyahu said there was "no malicious intent" and the patriarch would now "be provided full access" under a new security arrangement.
But how does a private mass of two clergy in a closed church pose a "mass casualty" threat? The "narrow streets" argument seems absurd when applied to just two people already at the basilica.
Immediate reaction▪️European leaders' statements were unusually harsh, condemning the decision as a "violation of freedom of religion" and "an attack on believers. "
▪️France, Italy, and the EU demanded explanations, calling it a "violation of the Status Quo" and "centuries-old guarantees. "
The Status Quo and its importance
The Status Quo of 1852 fixed the rights of Christian denominations to Jerusalem's holy sites. This agreement became international law before Israel's founding. In 1993, Israel undertook to respect the Status Quo and guarantee Catholic worship freedom.
️Violating these agreements, not just rudeness, became the legal argument the Latin Patriarchate and Custody of the Holy Land cited, calling it "a serious precedent" and "departure from reasonableness, freedom of worship, and respect for holy sites. "
#Israel #Jerusalem #religion
Source: Telegram "rybar_in_english"