Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and thus religious head of the Church of England, issued a moving, and very timely call for members of the Anglican communion to support Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace and justice.
“I stand with my brother in Christ, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, in his courageous call for a kingdom of peace. As innocent people are killed and displaced, families torn apart, and futures destroyed, the human cost of war is incalculable. It is the calling of every Christian—and of all people of faith and goodwill—to work and pray for peace. We must also urge all those entrusted with political authority to pursue every possible peaceful and just means of resolving conflict,” Archbishop Mullally said, reported the [Anglican Centre in Rome]( https://www.anglicancentreinrome.org/news/the-archbishop-of-canterbury-joins-the-pope-in-calling-for-peace)
“As I prepare to visit Rome later this month to meet and pray with Pope Leo, I am mindful of his call to keep our eyes open to the suffering of the world, and our gaze fixed on our crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ—the image of the invisible God, in whose image and likeness every human being is made. In him, we recognize that we are children of the one Father and members of a single human family. Prayer is not an escape from the world, nor a turning away from injustice; rather, it is a turning towards God in the midst of it, confronting evil, seeking God’s will, and becoming instruments of transformation and peace.
She continued, “As Christians, we are called to stand in solidarity with all who suffer, and to respond with compassion and love. Christ’s self-giving life, lived for the sake of others, reminds us that the command to love God with all our heart is inseparable from the call to love our neighbor as ourselves, especially the neighbor who suffers, who is displaced, who lives in fear, and who longs for peace….
“Our shared humanity has long inspired peacemakers across generations, whether Christian or not. That vision gave rise to the United Nations, founded amidst the ashes of the Second World
War. Many decades on, our generation must recommit itself to its Charter, upholding rights, international law, and the dignity and worth of every human life..
“I therefore urge Anglicans across the Church of England and the Anglican Communion to join with His Holiness in raising our voices for peace and justice throughout the world.
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, blesses the peacemakers and calls them children of God. In a time marked by hatred, division, and violence, may we be steadfast in that calling—witnesses to hope, agents of reconciliation, and bearers of God’s peace in a wounded world.”
