The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land clarified reports suggesting worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre had stopped. While the church remains closed to the public, clergy have continued celebrating liturgies inside without interruption.
The church’s closure
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre — the site ofJesus’’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection — has been closed to the public since Feb. 28. As Zeale News reported, Israel's Civil Administration closed all holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City "for security reasons in light of the current tensions in the region." Since then, pilgrims and the faithful have been unable to enter.
Joseph Hazboun, the regional director for Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNWA), a papal agency directing the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, said that while other churches have remained open, he expects the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to stay closed to the public “until the end of the war and the cessation of rocket fire from Iran on Israel.” As Holy Week begins March 29, services are expected to be limited to clergy, similar to COVID-19-era restrictions, according to Hazboun.
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Statements from the clergy
Social media posts claiming the church had fully shut down led some to conclude that all worship had ended or that the church was closed definitively, a misunderstanding clergy corrected in official statements.
“Even during these days, although access to the Basilica is restricted to the faithful for security reasons, prayer continues unceasingly in the Holy Places,” the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land said in a March 21 statement.
“The community of Franciscan friars present at the Holy Sepulchre has never ceased, day or night, to carry out the scheduled celebrations, the rites, the daily processions, and the liturgical prayers according to the provisions of the Status Quo,” the Custody said.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a March 22 statement that Divine Liturgies and processions have continued uninterrupted since the conflict began, though some Lenten rites have been celebrated by a small group of monks without the usual solemnity but have not been canceled.
Communique regarding recent rumors surrounding Holy Week and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher: pic.twitter.com/mjb4OhCJlf
— Armenian Patriarchate Of Jerusalem (@ArmenianQuarter) March 22, 2026
Easter celebrations
With Holy Week a few days away, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, confirmed in a statement that "ordinary celebrations open to all cannot take place" this Holy Week.
“The harshness of this time of war, which affects us all, today bears the added burden of not being able to celebrate Easter together and with dignity” he said. “This is a wound that adds to the many others inflicted by the conflict. But we must not allow ourselves to be discouraged. Though we may not gather as we would like, let us not give up prayer.”
He announced the Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives is canceled, and the Chrism Mass has been postponed, and he has asked priests to do everything possible to keep the faithful engaged in the Paschal celebrations.
The cardinal also encouraged everyone to pray in their homes, saying: "No darkness, not even that of war, can have the last word."
As Zeale News reported, church leaders have been in talks with Israeli authorities about allowing limited Easter observances. Sami el-Yousef, chief executive of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said, “The church leaders intend to meet with representatives of the police to impress on them the need to allow Easter celebrations, even if at a reduced capacity.”
The Armenian Patriarch noted in his statement that the situation remains uncertain, with Holy Week plans still undetermined.