ISRAELI police sparked a wave of protests after they prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries.

Early this morning, Israel’s police said it had approved a “limited prayer framework” for the church, in consultation with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On Sunday, the Patriarchate had called the police decision to bar entry “a manifestly unreasonable and grossly disproportionate measure.” 

It prevented two of the church’s top religious leaders, including the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, from celebrating Palm Sunday at the place where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and launches the Holy Week commemorations for Christians.

Israeli police said they had notified church authorities on Saturday that no Mass could take place on Palm Sunday because of safety considerations.

But Farid Jubran, the spokesperson for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said: “It’s a very, very sacred day for Christians and in our opinion there was no justification for such a decision or such an action.” 

Mr Jubran said that the church had requested permission from police for a few religious leaders to enter the church for a private celebration on Sunday.

The Patriarchate said that the decision impeded freedom of worship and the status quo in Jerusalem.

The closure sparked a wave of criticism that Israeli authorities had gone too far in restricting worship.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident, which he said had added to the “concerning increase in violations of the status of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.” 

Far-right Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said that the police action “constitutes an offence not only against believers but against every community that recognises religious freedom.”