In scenes very different from last year, Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre was open to the public on Palm Sunday, allowing Christians to attend mass at the start of Holy Week on the site where they believe Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
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Palm Sunday commemorates the day the gospels say Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed by the people, only to be crucified five days later.
With more than half the population of Israel having received two vaccine doses, coronavirus restrictions were eased to allow small congregations to gather with social distancing measures in place.
This year, Roman Catholics celebrate Easter on April 4 and Orthodox Christians nearly a month later, on May 2.
Later the patriarch was expected to take part in a Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to the Old City.
The procession will take place under Israeli COVID-19 restrictions with a limited number of participants.
