Statement of the Presidium of the Polish Bishops' Conference

Statement of the Presidium of the Polish Bishops' Conference

On Palm Sunday, for the first time in several centuries, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, were not allowed to enter the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate Holy Mass on this special day for Christians. This unprecedented situation, as rightly emphasized by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, is irrational and constitutes a departure from freedom of worship and respect for the status quo.

We fully express our solidarity with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo, and we deeply regret that at such an important time as Holy Week, Christians are unable to pray in the most significant places of the history of salvation.

We assure the prayer of the Church in Poland for peace and for an end to violence in the Holy Land, which is a special point of reference for followers of various religions, and during Holy Week a key place of worship for Christians of different denominations. We ask God for mercy for this afflicted and suffering land, and for all those who are currently there and experiencing restrictions in the practice of their faith, for the gift of strengthening in hope and in the love of Christ.

Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, SAC
Metropolitan Archbishop of Gdańsk
President of the Polish Bishops' Conference

Archbishop Józef Kupny
Metropolitan Archbishop of Wrocław
Vice-President of the Polish Bishops' Conference

Bishop Marek Marczak
Secretary General of the Polish Bishops' Conference

Warsaw, March 30, 2026