The Archbishop of Canterbury has told Palestinians she will use her role to seek “the peace you desire and the freedom you deserve”.
Dame Sarah Mullally was speaking during a sermon on Sunday as she made the first visit of an archbishop of Canterbury to the Palestinian Christian town of Birzeit in the West Bank.
The archbishop is on a pilgrimage where she is meeting, praying and worshipping with Palestinian Christians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel.
Speaking on the second day of her pilgrimage, she told the worshippers it was “a privilege” to spend time with them and she was aware of the “costliness of life” they face.
She said: “I am aware that I have certain freedoms that many of you do not enjoy, being able to cross borders and checkpoints, spending time in neighbouring communities, and going to Jerusalem.
“I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to join you in prayer and fellowship.
“I recognise the costliness of life for you and your families, and the costliness of following Jesus here in this land, which was our Saviour’s home and is your home.
“Thank you for the openness with which you have welcomed me.
“I will not forget what I have seen and what I have heard. I could not forget it. I will carry these encounters with me as I return home.
“I will use my role as archbishop to seek the peace you desire and the freedom you deserve.”
She spoke to the congregation about living faithfully against a backdrop of fear, trusting in the promises of Jesus and Christian hope as an act of resistance.
She told them: “And your faithful, hopeful resistance is also visible as fathers and mothers navigate the web of checkpoints daily to provide an income for their family, or to get their children to school to provide for their future, or as you gather to break bread together week by week in this church.
“All these acts of faithful resistance point to our hope in Jesus and reflect your ongoing struggle for freedom and dignity.”
Her pilgrimage is set to include visits to Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Birzeit, where she will seek to encourage those who live, work and worship in the Episcopal (Anglican) Diocese of Jerusalem.
A visit to healthcare projects and a school run by the diocese, along with meetings with church leaders, lay people and congregations in churches across the region, are also among her plans.
She is also set to pray at Christian holy sites in Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
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