Meloni condemns Israel after the blocking of the Patriarch at the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday

The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, condemned the incident in which the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was prevented by Israeli police from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the celebration of Palm Sunday, calling the situation an offense against religious freedom and the faithful.

According to the Latin Patriarchate, Pizzaballa and the custodian of the Holy Land, Francesco Ielpo, were stopped on their way and denied access, in the context of restrictions imposed in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, announced the summoning of the Israeli ambassador to Rome for clarifications regarding the incident, considered by the Italian authorities a matter of religious freedom.