The Holy Land · YOUR QUESTION, ANSWERED

What happens in Jerusalem during Holy Week?

By Andrew McGilly, Founder of Bold Pilgrim · Updated 2026-10-08

Times, dates and prices on this page were checked against the official source on 2026-10-08 (Custody of the Holy Land: Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre). They change; confirm before you travel. Reviewed quarterly.

By custom the Latin Church in Jerusalem keeps Holy Week in the places themselves. On Palm Sunday a procession with palms comes down the Mount of Olives from Bethphage to St. Anne's Basilica in the Old City. On Holy Thursday the Mass of the Lord's Supper is celebrated at the Holy Sepulchre and a Holy Hour is kept in Gethsemane. On Good Friday the Passion is celebrated on Calvary, the Way of the Cross follows the Via Dolorosa, and a funeral procession is held in the basilica. The Easter Vigil is celebrated at the tomb on Holy Saturday morning. In an ordinary year pilgrims may join the public processions.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem presides over the principal celebrations, with the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land. The Custody explains that the Vigil is kept on Saturday morning because of the Status Quo, the rules by which several Churches share the Holy Sepulchre; it cannot be changed without the consent of all the Churches involved. Space inside the church is very limited, and the authorities control access to the Old City.

No year can be assumed from another. In 2026, in wartime, the Patriarch cancelled the Palm Sunday procession, celebrations open to all could not be held that year, and the 2026 Triduum at the Holy Sepulchre was celebrated without the public and broadcast. That was an emergency, not the custom. Before planning around Holy Week, confirm the year's programme with the Latin Patriarchate, the Custody and the Christian Information Centre, and read the current U.S. travel advisory.

Related questions, answered

Can pilgrims join the Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem?

In an ordinary year, yes. The procession sets out from the Franciscan church at Bethphage on the Mount of Olives and ends at the Basilica of St. Anne, and local Christians, religious communities, scouts and pilgrims walk it together behind the Latin Patriarch. Numbers depend on the year: the Patriarchate described the 2024 procession as small, with only a few pilgrims, and in 2026 the Patriarch cancelled it. Ask the Christian Information Centre or the Custody about arrangements for your year.

Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Holy Week Prayers Program 2025 (celebrations presided over by the Patriarch)Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Palm Sunday, 'Christ is our point of reference' (report of the 2024 procession from Bethphage)Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Celebrations of Holy Week in Jerusalem and at the Holy Sepulcher (letter of the Patriarch, 22 March 2026)

Can I walk the Via Dolorosa with the Franciscans on Good Friday?

In an ordinary year the Good Friday Way of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa is a public procession which pilgrims join, some groups carrying a wooden cross. The lanes are narrow and very crowded. In 2026, under wartime restrictions, the Custody reported that the Custos walked it with a few friars. Pilgrim groups also pray the stations along the same route on ordinary days, which is far easier to follow. Check the Custody's programme for your year and do not rely on a past one.

Source: Pro Terra Sancta (Custody of the Holy Land's NGO): What happens in Jerusalem during the Holy Week?Custody of the Holy Land: Good Friday in Jerusalem, remembrance of the Passion and mystery of the cross (3 April 2026)

Why is the Easter Vigil in the Holy Sepulchre celebrated on Saturday morning?

Because of the Status Quo, the historic arrangement under which several Christian communities share the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and each has fixed times for its services. The Custody of the Holy Land notes that the morning Vigil also preserves the Latin practice that was universal before Pope Pius XII restored the Vigil to the night in the 1950s, and that it cannot be changed without the consent of all the Churches involved. The Custody calls it the first place in the world to announce the Resurrection each year.

Source: Custody of the Holy Land: Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, mother of all Vigils (5 April 2026)Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Holy Week Prayers Program 2025 (celebrations presided over by the Patriarch)

This question may be part of your discernment

Holy Week / Easter PilgrimageA pilgrimage made to keep the Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ with the Church, in the liturgy first, in a place that helps you stay with Him through the whole week.

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Sources & further readingCustody of the Holy Land: Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Holy Week Prayers Program 2025 (celebrations presided over by the Patriarch)Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Palm Sunday, 'Christ is our point of reference' (report of the 2024 procession from Bethphage)Pro Terra Sancta (Custody of the Holy Land's NGO): What happens in Jerusalem during the Holy Week?Custody of the Holy Land: Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, mother of all Vigils (5 April 2026)Custody of the Holy Land: Good Friday in Jerusalem, remembrance of the Passion and mystery of the cross (3 April 2026)Custody of the Holy Land: Holy Thursday at the Holy Sepulcher and Gethsemane (2 April 2026)Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem: Celebrations of Holy Week in Jerusalem and at the Holy Sepulcher (letter of the Patriarch, 22 March 2026)Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Custody of the Holy Land: joint press release, Palm Sunday, 29 March 2026 Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Custody of the Holy Land: joint press release, Holy Monday, 30 March 2026

Official sources cover institutional information. Suggested pacing and itinerary choices are planning guidance. Check current arrangements for your travel dates.