politics
Archbishop of Canterbury Visits West Bank Town, Pledges Support for Palestinians
The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Birzeit in the West Bank and delivered a sermon at St Peter's Church. She stated she would use her position to seek peace and freedom for Palestinians during the five-day pilgrimage.
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The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Birzeit in the West Bank on Sunday and delivered a sermon at St Peter's Church. She became the first holder of the office to visit the town. She told the congregation she would not forget what she had seen and heard.
She said she would use her role to seek the peace they desire and the freedom they deserve. The 64-year-old began her five-day pilgrimage across the Holy Land on Saturday. She noted that she has freedoms many in the region do not, including the ability to cross borders and checkpoints.
Other clergy have visited the Holy Land in recent months. The Archbishop of York stated in December that he was prevented from visiting Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank after being stopped at checkpoints. The Archbishop of York also accused Israel of committing genocidal acts in the Palestinian territories in his Christmas Day sermon.
The pilgrimage includes visits to Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Birzeit. The Archbishop will also meet several patriarchs and church leaders. On her first day she made a video call to the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which is run by the Diocese of Jerusalem.
An explosion in the hospital courtyard in 2023 killed hundreds, which Western intelligence sources suggested was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
