JERUSALEM, Sunday, April 5, 2020 (WAFA) – The Catholic churches of occupied Jerusalem announced today a significant reduction of the traditional Palm Sunday celebrations in the occupied city of Jerusalem over the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Every year, the Catholic churches in Jerusalem mark Palm Sunday, a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus‘ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week, the last week of the Christian solemn season of Lent that precedes the arrival of Eastertide.

But with the coronavirus outbreak, with over 8000 cases reported so far in Israel – which occupies the holy city of Jerusalem, the churches of all denominations have all cancelled the feast‘s public celebrations to prevent infections among the faithful. However, prayers and masses will be aired live via Palestine Live TV so that those wishing to join the prayers may do so from their home.

Unlike the tradition every year, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and the biblical Via Dolorosa Street as well as all other Christian landmarks in the city were seen empty of any worshipers due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Last week, the apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa announced that the procession of Palm Sunday was “omitted”.

“The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world and in the territories of our diocese has resulted in serious and drastic ations in our ability to participate in divine worship,” he said.

“The heart of Holy Week celebrations is obviously in the Holy Sepulcher. Following the restrictions determined by the civil authorities, it is therefore necessary for the celebrations at the Holy Sepulcher to be reduced accordingly, relative to the Corona Virus and in addition to the previously prescribed Status Quo agreements,” he added.

“The procession of the palms is omitted. However, I invite all parish priests to do everything possible to make available to their faithful the previously blessed olive branches and bottles of holy water for the faithful to take home,” he elaborated.

M.N