Statement from Michael Kinsella, CEO of Restore God’s Kingdom
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem has today confirmed distressing reports that His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was denied entry by Israeli security forces to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Restore God's Kingdom believes that the denial of access to the very shepherd of the Church at the holiest site of Christian faith, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is a moral and diplomatic outrage.
Security concerns tied to the war involving Israel and Iran have been cited to justify these measures. Yet these measures have been applied very disproportionately among the major faith groups - and the ensuant effect, whatever the stated intention, is unmistakable: the ongoing suffocation of Christian life and liberty in its very birthplace. We cannot allow such restrictions to become normalised.
Further, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the place of the Resurrection - the axis of Christian hope. To restrict access, especially in a manner that reaches even to the Patriarch himself, risks communicating that Christian presence in Jerusalem is conditional.
We at RGK state plainly: the continuation of Christian life and worship in Jerusalem and the wider Holy Land is a non-negotiable. Christians in the Holy Land, particularly in Jeruslam, are not peripheral figures - they are the custodians of a living faith rooted in sacrifice, perseverance, and fidelity at the very front lines of Christianity.
Restore God's Kingdom calls for:
- The immediate restoration of full and equitable access to Christian holy sites in Jerusalem
- Transparency and proportionality in all security measures affecting religious practice
- Recognition of the indispensable role of Christian communities in the spiritual and cultural fabric of Jerusalem
RGK stands in full and ongoing solidarity with Cardinal Pizzaballa and with all Christians in the Holy Land who continue to bear witness to their faith under great privation and, often, great violence: they help keep the flame of faith alive in the very places where that flame first burned, and where, alas, so many forces still wish to extinguish it forever.
Contact:
Restore God’s Kingdom
