Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Regained access to Holy Sepulchre following April 9 reopening

For roughly 270 years, under Ottoman, British, Jordanian, and Israeli rule, a delicate arrangement called the "status quo" has kept worship running at Jerusalem's holiest sites, even through wars and occupations. On Palm Sunday March 29, 2026, Israeli police broke that streak by turning away Cardinal Pizzaballa, the senior Catholic leader in Jerusalem, though only four church representatives were entering without a procession.

Updated May 30