Closed on Sunday

By JP Misheff, April 1, 2026

This past Sunday, Palm Sunday, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was refused entry into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Israeli police. It was the first Palm Sunday in centuries that the Holy Sepulchre was inaccessible for Mass.

Is there an argument for this, considering the state of the region? Should the fact that missile fragments have landed near the church be a factor? Should anyone be denied access to their preferred sacred space, even in wartime?

Pizzaballa has certainly set quite a precedent for Catholic leadership in the Holy City. He’s proven he’s unafraid to speak out boldly and tirelessly against war. He famously offered himself in exchange for the release of children hostages in the wake of the October 7th Hamas attack. Surely no one could have expected him to hide in a bunker during this time?

What do we do when the doors of our sacred spaces are closed?

One thinks about access. It’s hardly a secret that most places of worship are fully locked when they’re not open for services. Centers of prayer have fallen prey to the corporate model of being open only during “business hours.” Security is cited and there’s good reason for it. In the last few years, mosques and synagogues here in the United States have had to ramp up security in a big way, with visitors often required to pass through metal detectors run by paid private security firms. Not a few Christian denominations are also stepping up their own measures, particularly in the wake of last year’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on August 27th.

What does it mean to pass by armed guards on the way in to pray? What does it do to the content of the prayers prayed there?

These are just questions. I have no answers to offer. But I believe the answers will come, and if they serve to relieve, clarify, strengthen and transform, we can be sure of their Source.