Church of Holy Sepulchre closed amid war

With war escalating in the Middle East, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has closed for weeks, halting liturgies during Lent.

Authorities shut the church’s doors on February 28 because of escalating security concerns as the regional war intensified. Since then, access to the Old City’s major holy sites has been heavily restricted.
For the first time in living memory, liturgies have stopped inside the basilica for weeks. The sanctuary normally hosts a near-continuous rhythm of prayer led by the three communities that share custody of the church — the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Roman Catholic Churches.

The closure comes at a particularly sensitive moment in the Christian calendar. Lent, the season of preparation for Easter, has traditionally drawn pilgrims to Jerusalem from around the world.