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Orban Slams Israel for Blocking Latin Patriarch from Jerusalem Church

(MENAFN) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban voiced strong disapproval Monday over Israel’s decision to prevent Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from participating in Palm Sunday services at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

“This is unacceptable for us as Christians, even taking into account the wartime situation and general security measures. We must not allow war to exclude followers of any religion from our shared holy city, Jerusalem,” Orban wrote on US social media company X.

The Hungarian leader’s statement is notable given his well-known close relationship with Israel.

Last year, Orban hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest and expressed his intent to withdraw Hungary from the International Criminal Court, despite an arrest warrant issued by the tribunal over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

According to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Pizzaballa and the custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, were stopped while traveling privately to the church and “compelled to turn back.” The patriarchate noted that this marks the first time in centuries that church leaders were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s most sacred sites.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities continue to restrict Muslim worshippers from attending Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque—the third-holiest site in Islam—for the fourth consecutive week, keeping the mosque closed since late February under emergency measures linked to the conflict with Iran.

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