Saint Joseph Catholic Church

“The tabernacle had been forced open, consecrated hosts were scattered across the floor, and ciboriums and chalices were taken from the sacristy,” the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe reported. “Similar break-ins occurred in Meroux and Bourguignon, where church doors were forced [open] and liturgical objects stolen.”

“I am concerned that Communion services—often with the distribution of holy Communion—are increasingly replacing the celebration of the Eucharist on Sundays,” Cardinal Woelki preached at the archdiocesan Chrism Mass. “That, dear brothers, is no longer Catholic, and I urgently ask you to counteract this from the outset!”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem celebrated the Holy Thursday evening Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (video), four days after Israeli police denied him access to the church on Palm Sunday.

Pope Leo XIV presided at the liturgical Celebration of the Passion of the Lord this afternoon in St. Peter’s Basilica before presiding at the Via Crucis at the Colosseum earlier tonight.

Pope Leo XIV discussed the need for diplomacy and the protection of civilians during a telephone conversation this morning with President Isaac Herzog of Israel.

Father Ibrahim Faltas, O.F.M., head of schools of the Custody (Franciscan province) of the Holy Land, wrote that “since February 28, it has not been possible to fully live the poignant liturgical season of Lent due to the war that has spread throughout the Middle East, affecting even Jerusalem ... On the journey that will lead us to Holy Easter 2026, we have encountered violence, death, and sorrow for the suffering of so many brothers and sisters who have been denied so many rights, who have been denied love.”

“Jerusalem experienced Good Friday in a climate marked by war and the resulting restrictions,” Father Alberto Pari, O.F.M., of the Custody said in a statement. “The Holy City, which in these days should have welcomed thousands of faithful from all over the world, appeared silent and guarded. Yet, precisely within this fragility, the prayer of the Church continued to rise with strength, preserving the memory of the Passion of the Lord in the very place where it was accomplished.”