In a letter published in the Sunday Times on Thursday 2 April 2026, the Bishops of Chelmsford, Gloucester, Norwich and Southwark highlighted and protested against strict new limits on Christian worship in Jerusalem’s Old City over Easter, under security restrictions imposed as a result of the war in the Middle East.
The letter reads:
“Sir, The Israeli government’s decision to deny the Latin Patriarch access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to celebrate Palm Sunday was unprecedented and represented a direct assault on the historic status quo agreement regarding Jerusalem’s Holy Sites. Binyamin Netanyahu’s decision to reverse this regrettable decision is welcome but the subsequent framework agreement to limit access to the Church to only five Christians at any one time is unnecessary, disproportionate and discriminatory (“Netanyahu steps in after cardinal blocked from Palm Sunday service”, Mar 31). It is disproportionate and unnecessary given that, apart from the drone attack intended for the Israeli Ministry of National Security on March 19, there have been no missile strikes on Jerusalem. The appalling attack on Eshtaol is some 28km from Jerusalem by road.
It is discriminatory because the Israeli government allows up to 50 people to pray at any one time at the Western Wall, the holiest site for Jews in Jerusalem’s Old City. And yet, it is less than a five-minute walk from the Western Wall to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These arrangements against Christians must be lifted. The Orthodox Ceremony of Holy Fire on the Orthodox Holy Saturday must proceed without undue restriction. The Israeli government must give reassurance that it is committed to working with all parties to uphold the status quo in Jerusalem. It must avoid any action that might inflame tensions, undermine the cause of peace or unilaterally seek to alter the status quo.”
The Right Reverend Guli Francis-Dehqani The Bishop of Chelmsford
The Right Reverend Rachel Treweek The Bishop of Gloucester
The Right Reverend Graham Usher The Bishop of Norwich
The Right Reverend Christopher Chessun The Bishop of Southwark
