ISTANBUL

Poland on Monday condemned Israeli authorities' decision to prevent the Latin patriarch from marking Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

"We strongly condemn the Israeli police’s prevention of the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballi, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Mass on Palm Sunday," the country's Foreign Ministry said on US social media company X.

The ministry recalled that freedom of access to the holy sites of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity is "the foundation of interfaith harmony and the basis for their coexistence in the Holy Land."

"We hope that security protocols will be established to allow for the celebration of services during Holy Week, a time of such special significance for Christians around the world," it added.

President Karol Nawrocki also voiced his objections to the move earlier on Sunday.

"The actions of the Israeli police, which I condemn, are an expression of disrespect for Christian tradition and culture," he wrote on X.

Earlier on Sunday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement that Pizzaballa, along with the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, was stopped while heading privately to the church and "compelled to turn back."

The patriarchate said the incident marked the first time in centuries that church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Holy Sepulchre, one of the holiest Christian sites.

Israeli authorities also continue to bar Muslims from Friday prayers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, for the fourth consecutive week, keeping it closed since late February under emergency measures linked to the war with Iran.