King Charles referenced his recent visit to Rome, with the Queen, where they prayed with Pope Leo in a historuic moment of spiritual unity, celebrating the Jubilee theme “PIlgrims of Hope”. He spoke of the significance of pilgrimage, journeying forward into the future while remebering the past and said we must never lose sight of the values of the wartime generation, compassion and reconciliation, “the way our Lord lived and died”. The Christmas story of pilgrimage, by the shepherds and the wise men, was a journey undertaken with others, relying on companionship and kindness. “To this day, in times of uncertainty, these ways of living are treasured by all the great faiths and provide us with deep wells of hope: of resilience in the face of adversity; peace through forgiveness; simply getting to know our neighbours and, by showing respect to one another, creating new friendships…As I meet people of different faiths, I find it enormously encouraging to hear how much we have in common; a shared longing for peace and a deep respect for all life. If we can find time in our journey through life to think on these virtues we can all make the future more hopeful.” Speech in full here>>
Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace, in his Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) address, saying that “today, true peace has come down to us from heaven.” Pope prayed for “justice, peace, and stability for Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Syria. For Ukraine, he appealed for “the clamour of weapons” to cease,” and that all those involved, with the support of the international community, find the courage to engage in “sincere, direct, and respectful dialogue.” Remembering conflicts that risk being forgotten, Pope Leo XIV expressed closeness to the victims of war and violence in Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti and Myanmar. He also prayed for the restoration of the “ancient friendship” between Thailand and Cambodia, and for people affected by natural disasters in South Asia and Oceania. Turning to Latin America, he encouraged those with political responsibilities to give space to dialogue for the common good, rather than to ideological and partisan divisions. Address is here >>
The Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullaly, who is soon to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury, warned that “our national conversations about immigration continue to divide us, when our common humanity should unite us”. In her Christmas sermon delivered at St Paul’s Catehdral, she said: “Joy is born exactly where despair expects to triumph. As joy breaks through in our lives it gives us the opportunity to become people who make room. Room in our homes. Room in our churches. Room in our public conversations and in the attitudes we hold. The joy asks us to allow our lives to be interrupted by the needs of others, just as the people of Bethlehem were interrupted.” She also spoke about many people experiencing the hardship and injustice of inequality: “Our own society carries uncertainties that can wear us down. Many feel the weight of economic pressure. Some feel pushed to the margins …. We who are Christians then hold fast to joy as an act of resistance. The kind of joy that does not minimise suffering but meets it with courage”. Report here >>
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, revealed that he had been intimidated by Israeli militias during a visit to the Holy Land this year. He said he was stopped at checkpints and told he could not visit Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank. And he said it was “sobering” to see the wall and reflected on “all the walls and barriers we erect across the whole of the world”, including those within people, fearful of strangers.
