JERUSALEM (RNS) — The annual Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem will be canceled this year due to the war with Iran, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem announced on Monday (March 23).

“The restrictions imposed by the conflict and the events of recent days do not bode well for any imminent improvement,” Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader in the Holy Land, said in a statement. “In constant dialogue with the competent authorities, together with the other Christian Churches, we are evaluating how, in the ways to be agreed upon, we can celebrate the central Mystery of our salvation in the heart of our Churches.”

Pizzaballa said the “constantly evolving” situation makes it impossible to predict what, if any, communal prayers will be permitted during Holy Week. “We will therefore be forced to coordinate on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Since the start of the Feb. 28 war with Iran, Israel’s Home Front Command has limited the number of people who can assemble in one place to 50 (or up to 100 in locations deemed lower risk), and then only provided there is quick and easy access to a bomb shelter before an Iranian missile strike.

Although synagogues, churches and mosques across the country are permitted to host a limited number of worshippers, Home Front Command has made all holy places in the Old City of Jerusalem off-limits, fearing that a missile strike could cause a mass casualty event. While clergy have been allowed to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Western Wall, others are prohibited from doing so.

Last Palm Sunday, despite the conflict in Gaza, some 4,000 participants walked the path Jesus is said to have followed as he entered Jerusalem in the days before his death. The route starts at the Mount of Olives, passing the garden at Gethsemane and the Church of St. Anne in the Old City.

Of the hundreds of missiles Iran has fired at Israel since the war began, the fragments of at least two have landed in the Old City, close to the holy sites.

Muslim leaders have sharply criticized the Israeli government for banning communal prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound during the recent holy month of Ramadan, when as many as 80,000 Muslims gather at the site for prayer. They claimed that the closure was politically motivated to erode Muslim authority over the mosque, instead of for concern for the safety of worshippers.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque complex stands on the Temple Mount — what Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary — the site of two earlier Jewish temples destroyed in ancient times. The mount is the holiest site for Jews and the third-holiest site for Muslims.  

The Latin Patriarch said that he and other priests are doing their best to celebrate the days leading up to Easter, despite the disruptions of the war.

“This year we were unable to experience the traditional Lenten journey in Jerusalem, with the solemn celebrations at the Holy Sepulchre and in the Holy Places of the Passion. Though we were able to pray and prepare personally, we felt the loss of the community journey towards Easter. Now we ask ourselves about the celebrations of Holy Week, the beating heart of our faith, in Jerusalem and at the Holy Sepulchre,” he said.

In lieu of the Palm Sunday procession, the patriarchate is planning a virtual saying of the rosary on Saturday, March 28. Pizzaballa called on Christians around the world to commit to a moment of prayer for the city of Jerusalem. “I feel the need to propose a special day in which, while each of us remains in our own places, we feel spiritually united in prayer to find comfort.

“I therefore invite you to join in prayer next Saturday, March 28, reciting the Rosary to implore the gift of peace and serenity, especially for those suffering because of the conflict. We will do so with humble hearts, certain that our prayer, even while we are physically distant, is capable of drawing upon the strength of God’s love, which unites us in a spirit of hope and trust,” Pizzaballa said.