Palm Sunday celebrations take place in Jerusalem as war goes on
Faithful mark the start of Christian Holy Week
JERUSALEM — Thousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives, marking the first day of Holy Week as conflict surges across the region.
Pilgrims waved branches and fronds in the air, items that were placed before Jesus’ feet as he was greeted by cheering crowds during his entrance into Jerusalem, according to the Bible. Earlier Sunday, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre — revered as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion — also held a service.
The annual celebration came as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza. However, the conflict appeared to have had little effect on the procession, which swelled to a similar size as last year.
“Although there is war, in my impression, I don’t feel any kind of tension,” said David Manini, a pilgrim from Italy.
The celebration marks the beginning of the most somber week in the Christian calendar, which marks Jesus’s crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter.
“I’m here because I love Jesus Christ,” said Jennifer Weedon, who traveled from the United States for the occasion.
Since the war erupted, Israel has seen a huge downturn in tourism. The war began on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants from Gaza invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Israel has responded with an air and ground war that has left more than 32,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
One of the placards held by a pilgrim read, “Save us lord. The Church of Saint Porphyrius and Holy Family Church, Gaza.”
In late October, Palestinian health officials said that an Israeli strike hit St. Porphyrios, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza where displaced Palestinians were sheltering, killing 18 people.
In the Vatican City, Pope Francis decided at the last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, avoiding a strenuous speech at the start of a busy Holy Week that will test his increasingly frail health.
Hobbled by bad knees and persistent respiratory problems, Francis also didn’t participate in the procession of cardinals around the obelisk in the piazza at the start of the Mass. Instead, the 87-year-old pontiff blessed the palm fronds and olive branches carried by the faithful from the altar.
Francis had been expected to deliver a homily halfway through the service, and a prepared text had been distributed to journalists. But when an aide presented Francis with his glasses to begin reading, the pope made it clear he wouldn’t deliver the remarks, leaving the crowd waiting in silence.
Vatican officials didn’t immediately explain why. The Vatican press office later said the homily was replaced by “a moment of silence and prayer.”
Vatican officials estimated some 60,000 people attended the Mass, held under a sunny, breezy spring sky.