What began as a security measure triggered by active Iranian missile threats during one of Christianity’s most sacred weeks rapidly spiraled into a global controversy — one that advocates say was fueled more by misinformation than by fact.
During Holy Week, Israeli authorities temporarily restricted access to several of Jerusalem’s holiest sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount. The decision, issued by Israel’s Home Front Command, came in direct response to credible missile threats from Iran. Among those initially denied entry was Catholic Cardinal Pierre Batista Pizzaballla, a development that swiftly generated international headlines and widespread allegations that Israel was actively persecuting Christians.
Calev Myers, Chairman of the Judeo-Christian Zionist Congress, moved quickly to contextualize what had actually occurred. In an interview with CBN News from 11:38, Meyers offered a clear-eyed explanation of why the restrictions were in place and why the cardinal’s initial denial of entry was not a reflection of any discriminatory policy.
Speaking directly to the circumstances surrounding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Meyers explained the situation surrounding the cardinal.
In his words “the Church of the Holy Sepulchre does not have a proper bomb shelter that is up to security specifications. And so the only people who were allowed on that premises during the war, during Holy Week, were the 30 priests who live there” he said.
He further noted that the cardinal understood those rules but went to the site without first obtaining the required advance permission from Israeli police — a procedural misstep, not a political one.
Meyers was nonetheless direct in his assessment of the online response that followed: it was, in his words, a case of making a mountain out of a molehill. Within a day, Israeli leaders at the highest level reversed the initial decision — though, as CBN News reported, the outrage had already taken on a life of its own across social media platforms…Read_More…