French President Macron stated today: "I fully support the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Christian community in the Holy Land, who have been barred from holding Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I condemn this decision by Israeli police, which exacerbates the troubling escalation of incidents undermining the status of Jerusalem's holy sites. The right of all religions to freely practice their faith in Jerusalem must be safeguarded."
Commentary: Since the 19th century under the Ottoman Empire, France has served as the traditional protector of Latin Christians in Jerusalem, possessing four "sovereign enclaves" including the Church of Saint Anne, long positioning itself as the guardian of Christian holy sites. In recent years, Israel has intensified its control over Jerusalem, leading to repeated conflicts with France over church sovereignty and police jurisdiction (in 2020, Macron angrily denounced Israeli police entering the Church of Saint Anne). This latest ban on the Mass directly strikes at the core of France’s religious privileges and influence in the Holy Land. Macron’s move is aimed at upholding France’s traditional religious privileges in Jerusalem, securing support from domestic Catholic voters, countering Israel, and asserting greater leverage in Middle Eastern diplomacy.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861006363606025/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.