The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, is set to deliver a powerful plea for peace in the Middle East during her inaugural Easter sermon as the Church of England's most senior bishop.
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.
Her intervention comes as the conflict, initiated by the US and Israel against Iran in late February, enters its sixth week. The war has already claimed thousands of lives and triggered significant global repercussions, including a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, leading to soaring fuel prices worldwide.
Dame Sarah is expected to pray that “all people of the region receive the peace, justice and freedom they long for”.
She will tell the cathedral’s congregation: “This week our gaze and our prayers have been turned towards the land where Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead.
“Today, as we shout with joy that Christ is risen, let us pray and call with renewed urgency for an end to the violence and destruction in the Middle East and the Gulf.
“May our Christian sisters and brothers know and celebrate the hope of the empty tomb – and may all people of the region receive the peace, justice and freedom they long for.”
Dame Sarah is also expected to pray for people dealing with personal struggles, from unemployment to bereavement, telling them “God walks with you through that darkness”.
She will say: “Perhaps you are here today standing in your own version of the dark, perhaps with your own heart shattered. If you have been knocked off course by illness, bereavement, unemployment or any other human crisis – I pray you know that God walks with you through that darkness.”
Dame Sarah, a former chief nurse in England, will also give special mention to those caring for others in society.
She will say: “Last night, in hospitals around the country, nurses tended to those who struggled to sleep.
“In hospices, carers and loved ones will have held someone’s hand, letting them know they are not alone. Parents will have cradled their babies to sleep. This vigil of care is the work of remaining – of staying present in the quiet and the dark.”
While the King is technically head of the Church, Dame Sarah is the most senior bishop and the spiritual leader of the Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.
She is the Church’s first female Archbishop of Canterbury after being enthroned at a ceremony attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales last month.
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