Middle East

Holy Week in the Holy Land is unfolding in unprecedented silence, as war-related restrictions have left sacred sites largely without the faithful.

An agreement has been reached with Israeli authorities to allow Holy Week and Easter celebrations to take place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Cardinal Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Franciscan Father Francesco Ielpo, the custos of the Holy Land, were prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by Israeli police on Palm Sunday.

The newsletter of Alberta Conservative MP Garnett Genuis explaining "cautious" just war support for U.S.-Israeli intervention in Iran.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said wartime restrictions have forced the cancellation or postponement of key Holy Week observances, urging the faithful to remain united in prayer despite the inability to gather for traditional celebrations.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre remains a place of continuous prayer despite restricted access to the faithful, according to a statement released March 21 by the Custody of the Holy Land.

Israeli authorities closed Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre as part of wider closures for security concerns.

Despite living in perpetual fear of being caught in the crossfire, the Maronite Catholic population in southern Lebanon has defied evacuation orders, being deeply attached to their ancient homeland and rooted in and invincible faith.

As retaliatory strikes from Iran, as well as from Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, continued, people in the Holy Land -- especially Christians -- face a dire present and an uncertain future.

Lebanese Maronite Catholic priest Father Pierre al-Rahi was commemorated by Pope Leo XIV ahead of the cleric's funeral.