Archbishop of Canterbury uses first Easter sermon to call for Middle East peace
Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally is set to make a powerful appeal for peace in the Middle East in her inaugural Easter sermon as the most senior bishop of the Church of England.
Speaking from Canterbury Cathedral on Easter Sunday, she will call “with renewed urgency” for an end to the escalating violence and destruction in the region.
His intervention comes as the conflict against Iran, which the United States and Israel launched in late February, enters its sixth week. The war has already claimed thousands of lives and triggered significant global repercussions, including the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and led to rising fuel prices worldwide.
Dame Sarah is expected to pray for “the peace, justice and freedom that all the people of the region long for”.
He will tell the cathedral’s congregation: “This week our gaze and prayers have been turned to the land where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead.
“Today, as we joyfully shout the resurrection of Christ, let us pray and call with renewed urgency for an end to the violence and destruction in the Middle East and the Gulf.
“Let our Christian brothers know and celebrate the hope of the empty tomb, and let all the people of the region achieve the peace, justice and freedom they long for.”
Dame Sarah is also expected to pray for people dealing with personal difficulties, from unemployment to death, telling them: “God walks with you through this darkness.”
It will say: “Perhaps you stand here today in your own version of darkness, perhaps with your own heart torn apart. If you have been off course due to illness, death, unemployment, or any other human crisis, I pray that you will know that God is walking with you in that darkness.”
Dame Sarah, a former matron in England, will also make special mention of those who care for others in society.
It will say: “Last night nurses in hospitals across the country cared for those having trouble sleeping.
“Caregivers and their loved ones will hold someone’s hand in nursing homes and make them feel that they are not alone. Parents will hold their babies to sleep. This is the job of staying on watch, remaining silent and present in the darkness.”
Although the King is technically the head of the Church, Dame Sarah is the most senior bishop and spiritual leader of the Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.
She became the church’s first female Archbishop of Canterbury, who was enthroned last month at a ceremony attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
