Archbishop to pray for Middle East peace at Easter

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally is set to give her first Easter sermon as the top bishop. -EPA

The Archbishop of Canterbury will call "with renewed urgency" for peace in the Middle East as she delivers her first Easter sermon as the Church of England's top bishop.

Sarah Mullally will pray for an end to the violence and destruction in the region during her sermon at Canterbury Cathedral in southeast England on Easter Sunday.

The archbishop makes her plea as the war, launched by the US and Israel on Iran at the end of February, enters its sixth week.

The conflict has so far killed thousands and, outside the region, consequences have included soaring fuel prices due to a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the world's most important shipping routes.

Mullally is expected to pray that "all people of the region receive the peace, justice and freedom they long for".

"This week our gaze and our prayers have been turned towards the land where Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead," she will tell the congregation.

"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."

The archbishop is also expected to pray for people dealing with personal struggles, from unemployment to bereavement.

"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," she will say.

Mullally, a former chief nurse in England, will also give special mention to those caring for others in society.

"Last night, in hospitals around the country, nurses tended to those who struggled to sleep," she will say.

"In hospices, carers and loved ones will have held someone's hand, letting them know they are not alone. Parents will have cradled their babies to sleep. This vigil of care is the work of remaining – of staying present in the quiet and the dark."

While the King is technically head of the Church of England, Mullally is the most senior bishop and the spiritual leader of the church and the worldwide Anglican communion.

She is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury and was enthroned at a ceremony attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales in March.