Bishop of London Calls for End to Violence and Destruction at Canterbury

Dame Sarah Mullally, who spent years as Bishop of London before becoming the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in January, used her first Easter Sunday sermon to issue an urgent plea for peace in the Middle East, speaking at Canterbury Cathedral on Easter Sunday and praying for an end to the ongoing conflict that has entered its sixth week.

Standing before the cathedral's congregation, she called "with renewed urgency" for peace in the Middle East, praying for "an end to the violence and destruction" in the region. She specifically referenced the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran in late February, a conflict that has resulted in thousands of casualties.

In full, she told those gathered: "Today, as we shout with joy that Christ is risen, let us pray and call with renewed urgency for an end to the violence and destruction in the Middle East and the Gulf. May our Christian sisters and brothers know and celebrate the hope of the empty tomb – and may all people of the region receive the peace, justice and freedom they long for."

Beyond the international crisis, the conflict has caused disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping routes, pushing fuel prices higher around the world.

The Easter address was not solely directed outward. Dame Sarah also extended her message to those confronting private hardship, drawing on her background as a former chief nursing officer for England. She told the congregation: "Perhaps you are here today standing in your own version of the dark, perhaps with your own heart shattered. If you have been knocked off course by illness, bereavement, unemployment or any other human crisis – I pray you know that God walks with you through that darkness."

Dame Sarah Mullally's election as Archbishop of Canterbury was confirmed at a legal ceremony on January 28, 2026, making her the senior bishop of the Anglican Communion, the worldwide body of 85 million Anglicans. She was installed at Canterbury Cathedral on March 25, 2026, becoming the first woman to hold the role in more than 1,400 years of the office's history. Her Easter sermon, delivered just eleven days after that installation, marked her first major address to the nation in the role, and she used it to send a signal that the Church of England's most powerful voice would not remain silent on the wars reshaping the world.