Worshippers throng to Jerusalem for Palm Sunday

JERUSALEM – Christians in the Holy Land are celebrating Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week that leads up to Easter.

Crowds of faithful gathered at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Many waved palm fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly entered Jerusalem.

Clergy and worshippers took part in the procession next to the newly restored tomb of Jesus. A Greek team has just completed a historic renovation of the Edicule, the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was entombed and resurrected.

A 12th-century building sitting on 4th-century remains, the Church of the Holy Sepluchre is the only place where six Christian denominations practice their faith at the same site.