Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, has been the subject of a wave of global sympathy after Israeli forces stopped him on the way to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Sunday.
But on our visit to the ancient church in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City the next day, we discovered that some, at least, of the cardinal’s flock feel rather less warmly towards the patriarch.
For weeks since Israel joined the US in attacking Iran, the Old City has been mostly closed off to visitors, with Israeli security forces stationed at the gates and restricting access to the holy sites. Al-Aqsa Mosque remains closed to Muslims, as it was for most of Ramadan and for the Eid al-Fitr holiday earlier this month.
Israeli police have cited safety concerns over Iranian missile attacks, and indeed some debris from intercepted Iranian missiles has caused damage in Jerusalem. But Palestinians living here believe the restrictions are really intended to further tighten Israel’s control over the occupied Old City.
Boutros, a Catholic shopkeeper whose name has been changed because of safety concerns, said that Pizzaballa - a highly regarded and internationally respected figure within the Catholic Church - should have confronted the soldiers who stopped him from entering the church rather than tamely agreeing to turn back.
