Archbishop to pray for Middle East peace at Easter
The Archbishop of Canterbury will appeal with “renewed urgency” for peace in the Middle East as he delivers his first Easter sermon as presiding bishop of the Church of England.
Sarah Mullally will pray for an end to the violence and destruction in the region during her sermon at Canterbury Cathedral in south-east England on Easter Sunday.
The archbishop is making his case as the war against Iran, which the United States and Israel launched at the end of February, enters its sixth week.
Thousands of people have died in the conflict so far, and the consequences outside the region include rising fuel prices due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
Mullally is expected to pray for “the peace, justice and freedom that all the people of the region long for.”
“This week our gaze and prayers have been turned to the land where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead,” he told the congregation.
“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.”
The archbishop is also expected to pray for people with personal problems, from unemployment to death.
“Perhaps you are standing here today in your own version of darkness, perhaps with your own heart torn apart… If your path has been disrupted by illness, death, unemployment, or any other human crisis, I pray that you will know that God is walking with you in that darkness,” he will say.
Mullally, a former matron in England, will also make special mention of those who care for others in society.
“Last night, nurses in hospitals across the country cared for those having trouble sleeping,” he will say.
“Caregivers and their loved ones will hold someone’s hand in nursing homes and make them feel that they are not alone. Parents will put their babies on their laps to put them to sleep. This is the job of staying on watch, remaining silent and present in the dark.”
Although the King is technically the head of the Church of England, Mullally is the most senior bishop and spiritual leader of the church and the worldwide Anglican communion.
The first female Archbishop of Canterbury, she was enthroned in March at a ceremony attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
