Cathedrals Foster Unity and Peace Among Middle Eastern Communities

UK: Cathedrals are creating spaces for people to come and pray for peace in the Middle East. 

Canterbury Cathedral is organising a peace vigil for Monday 30 October that will be attended by representatives from local Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities. 

A moment of silence will be observed to remember the dead, injured and kidnapped, and people will be invited to tie a white ribbon for peace. 

The cathedral was keen to stress that the vigil is “a non-political event to remember and pray for all communities impacted in the Holy Land” and that only flags or signs for peace may be displayed in the cathedral precincts. 

The Dean of Canterbury, the Very Revd David Monteith said: “What can we do when faced with such violence and brokenness?

“We stand together across our differences, we create silence so that hope might grow, and we foster solidarity to build a community in which where one hurts, everyone hurts.”

He added, “Down the centuries people and pilgrims have looked to Canterbury for healing and transformation. Like them we now pray for fresh miracles.” 

Other cathedrals have hosted prayer vigils for peace in recent days, including Salisbury, Coventry and Bradford. 

Carlisle Cathedral hosted a vigil for peace last Friday that was well attended despite the disruption caused by Storm Babet.

At Coventry Cathedral, the vigil was led by cathedral dean, the Very Rev John Witcombe, and attended by Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Baha’i community leaders, as well as MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana. 

She said, “This vigil was a powerful demonstration of our city’s best traditions, with our diverse communities – Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, people of all faiths and none – coming together to mourn the Palestinian and Israeli civilians killed in the recent violence. 

“Together we called for peace and an end to the death and destruction.

“I know that reflects the sentiments of people across Coventry, who want to see peace and justice in the region, with the rights of all Palestinians and Israelis upheld.”

Republished from Christian Today UK.