WCC NEWS: Archbishop of Canterbury takes pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has taken a five-day pilgrimage to Palestine and Israel at the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Most Rev. Hosam Naoum. Photo: A Krogmann 25 June 2026 The visit is a joint pilgrimage of prayer and solidarity—meeting and praying with Palestinian Christians in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank, and Israel. The pilgrimage has included travels to Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Birzeit; meetings with church leaders, lay people, and congregations in churches across the region; and visits to holy sites in Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. The Archbishop of Canterbury also met with several patriarchs and heads of churches, and heard about the challenges and opportunities currently facing them in their ministry. “I bring with me the prayers and solidarity of the Church of England and Anglican Communion – and the assurance that Christians in Palestine and Israel are not forgotten,” she said.  Naoum said: “As we travel together from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land, following the path of our Lord’s earthly ministry, we are reminded of our shared calling to be instruments of his peace and reconciliation.” The Archbishop of Canterbury met with 26-year-old Layan Nasir, a Palestinian Anglican who who has spent three periods in Israeli administrative detention and prison over the last five years. Nasir, who is a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birzeit in the West Bank, was released from Israel’s Damon Prison in May.  The Archbishop of Canterbury offered prayers and listened to her experiences about her time in detention.  "I’m grateful to Layan’s family for their hospitality in their home. I will pray for them, and for God’s blessing and healing for Layan after the terrible ordeal of her incarceration,” she said. "I pray for the release of all people who have been unjustly imprisoned, here in Palestine and Israel and around the world.” Also in her pilgrimage, Archbishop Mullally delivered a sermon at St Peter’s Church in Birzeit, addressing the challenges faced by Palestinian Christians and the broader community. In her sermon, she told the congregation she would use her role as archbishop to seek “the peace you desire and the freedom you deserve.” Acknowledging that "faithfulness can be costly,” Archbishop Mullally lamented that 2,000 years after the birth of Christ "you are now facing so many barriers to practising your faith and living freely.” She continued, “And your faithful, hopeful resistance is also visible as fathers and mothers navigate the web of checkpoints daily to provide an income for their family, or to get their children to school to provide for their future, or as you gather to break bread together week by week in this church.”  During the final day of her pilgrimage—24 June—the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, and reflected on what the visits have meant.  “Over the past few days, I have had the privilege of making a pilgrimage through this land. Pilgrimage is, of course, a journey through places,” she said. “But it is also a journey of the heart and mind. It is an exercise in listening: listening to God, listening to one another, and allowing ourselves to be changed by what we hear and encounter.” See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland