Italy Criticizes Israel for Preventing Cardinal from Church in Jerusalem

(MENAFN) Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday criticized Israel for preventing Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from entering a church in Jerusalem, calling the act an “offense” to religious freedom.

"Preventing the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Custodian of the Holy Land from entering, especially on a solemnity as central to the faith as Palm Sunday, constitutes an offense not only to believers, but to every community that recognizes religious freedom," Meloni said in a government statement.

The Italian authorities expressed their solidarity with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pizzaballa, who was denied access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, stopping him from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass.

"The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is a sacred place of Christianity, and as such it must be preserved and protected for the celebration of sacred rites," the statement added.

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