From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 30, 2026
Police, Catholic patriarchate reach agreement on prayer at Holy Sepulchre, details to come
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After widespread outrage over their refusal to let top Catholic figures pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre today, the Israel Police announces it has reached an agreement with the Latin Patriarchate to allow limited prayer at the Christian holy site.
Jerusalem District Commander Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled and David Sub-District Commander Dvir Tamim met with a representative of the Latin Patriarchate, and agreed on a framework that will allow all Christian denominations to worship in the church while the Iran war continues, says the police.
A police official tells The Times of Israel that the details of the framework will be released tomorrow after a meeting is held with all the denominations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just posted on X that he had instructed that the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, be granted “full and immediate access” to the church.
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.
Over the past several days, Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) March 29, 2026
On Sunday morning, Israeli police officers kept the two top Catholic clergymen in the Holy Land – Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Custos of the Holy Land Father Francesco Ielpo – from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a small Palm Sunday Mass.
A fragment from an intercepted Iranian ballistic missile fell near the church some two weeks ago.
The Times of Israel Community.