By Sanad Sahelia
ACI MENA, Apr 19, 2025 / 07:00 am
This year’s Easter celebrations in the Holy Land are expected to unfold under a complex and emotional landscape marked by sorrow and hope as war continues in Gaza and security tensions escalate across the West Bank and Jerusalem.
For Christians in Gaza, full participation in Easter rituals is impossible due to the blockade and closed crossings. Meanwhile, many West Bank Christians face significant hurdles in obtaining Israeli permits to enter Jerusalem amid increasingly tight security restrictions.
Despite these challenges, churches in Jerusalem and across Palestine insist on observing Holy Week traditions — even if on a smaller scale and under exceptional circumstances. For the Christian community here, Easter is not merely a religious tradition but an act of faith and resistance — a cry for life in the face of death and destruction.
In this spirit, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has announced the schedule for this year’s Holy Week celebrations, presided over by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The celebrations began on April 13 with Palm Sunday and will culminate on April 20 with a solemn entry into the Holy Sepulcher followed by Easter Mass and the traditional procession inside the church.
A season without pilgrims
Despite the difficult circumstances, churches in the Holy Land remain committed to marking Holy Week — even in its most modest expressions.
