JERUSALEM (RNS) — The annual Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem will be canceled this year due to the war with Iran, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem announced on Monday (March 23).
“The restrictions imposed by the conflict and the events of recent days do not bode well for any imminent improvement,” Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader in the Holy Land, said in a statement. “In constant dialogue with the competent authorities, together with the other Christian Churches, we are evaluating how, in the ways to be agreed upon, we can celebrate the central Mystery of our salvation in the heart of our Churches.”
Pizzaballa said the “constantly evolving” situation makes it impossible to predict what, if any, communal prayers will be permitted during Holy Week. “We will therefore be forced to coordinate on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
Since the start of the Feb. 28 war with Iran, Israel’s Home Front Command has limited the number of people who can assemble in one place to 50 (or up to 100 in locations deemed lower risk), and then only provided there is quick and easy access to a bomb shelter before an Iranian missile strike.
Although synagogues, churches and mosques across the country are permitted to host …