The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (CNA/Jorge Lascar via Flickr)The Church of the Holy Sepulchre faces closure during Holy Week due to the threat of strikes on Jerusalem in Israel’s war with Iran. The city administration subsequently announced that “all holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, will remain closed … for security reasons in light of the current tensions in the region”. With diminishing prospects of a halt to hostilities before the Latin Church celebrates Palm Sunday on March 29, the churches that share the Holy Sepulchre – Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Coptic, Syriac and Ethiopian Orthodox – have reportedly begun preparations for limited Holy Week celebrations. The representative of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Ioan Meiu, reported that the present closures have multiple causes besides the war. FULL STORYHoly Sepulchre faces Easter closure as Jerusalem holy sites remain shut (By Patrick Hudson, The Tablet)

Source: Ethiopian News March 22, 2026 21:01 UTC