PRESS RELEASE - Church action for peace
Churches across the UK are coming together to #PrayForPeace in the Middle East.
Faith-based charities, including CAFOD, Christian Aid, Embrace the Middle East, Quakers in Britain and Tearfund, are inviting churches to unite and pray in response to the escalating crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
Their action is being supported by organisations including Churches Together England, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, the Church of England and Methodists, Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and the Church in Wales and coincides with UN World Peace Day and the global call to prayer from the World Council of Churches.
The aim is to pray and stand in solidarity with those affected by the violence in the Middle East, including Palestinian Christians, and amplify the call for a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and a meaningful peace process.
Churches are being urged to take part by holding a minute’s silence during their services on Sunday, September 21 and use a prayer, written by The Most Reverend Dr. Hosam E. Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem.
Then on September 24 and 25, church leaders are invited to Red Lines vigils – due to take place at the Senedd in Cardiff, and in Parliament Square, London.
A spokesperson for the organisations involved explained: “There is a clear and urgent need for churches in the UK to respond to the escalating crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. The gravity of the situation demands a united Christian witness for peace, justice, and reconciliation.
“We hope as many churches as possible will join us in these actions. We believe that by standing together, in solidarity with those affected by violence and injustice, we can amplify the call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, for a dramatic scaling up of the amount of aid being let in, and for a meaningful peace process.”
Rev Helen Burnett, Vicar at St Peter and St Paul’s, in Chaldon, Surrey is supporting the call for peace.
She said: “As the world watches in horror the deliberate decimations of an entire population - its fabric, its institutions, its people - a sense of despair prevails and sucks away our energy, threatening our capacity for empathy. For each of us, the red line was crossed at a different moment but here, on the other side of the line, it is incumbent upon us, as people of faith, to stand in solidarity with the suffering of the people of Palestine and in particular Gaza and the West Bank.
“Jesus prayed and acted for the oppressed, now we must pray and act for the people of Gaza and cry out for justice and peace, kneeling on that red line, and remembering the innocents are names, not numbers – they are our sisters, our brothers and our neighbours.”
Alongside the call to prayer and the Red Line gathering are other moments, including the Fast for Gaza initiative, which urges the UK Government to take action towards a ceasefire and a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
The Very Rev’d Canon Richard Sewell, Dean of St George’s College, Jerusalem, who started the Fast4Gaza movement encouraged people to get involved: “In these days of suffering in Gaza and the West Bank you can stand in prayerful solidarity by joining in the international day of prayer action for Palestine and Israel.
“Palestinians have felt abandoned by many who should have done so much more but the action of the people in the streets of numerous countries has shown that the cry of pain and anger has not gone unheard. Please continue to show love and unity, praying and acting for peace with justice.”
Churches can find more information on the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website: A Call to Prayer and Public Witness for Peace in the Holy Land.