Archbishop of York calls for end to conflict in Iran

Stephen Cottrell delivered his plea for “peace between warring nations” to a congregation at York Minster on Easter Sunday (April 5).

In the sermon, he likened the “thirst” of Jesus Christ on the cross, to the things people thirst for in the modern day.

Mr Cottrell said: “We thirst for peace between the warring nations of the world and on this Easter morning cry out for an end to the literally pointless conflict consuming the Middle East at the moment.

“We thirst for justice in a world where norms of international law are eroded and ignored, where basic human rights are denied.

“We thirst for unity within the church of Jesus Christ, itself so painfully divided by the conflicts of the past and an easy acceptance of a scandalous status quo in the present.”

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

The conflict has already killed thousands and it is unclear whether it is any closer to an end.

Outside of the region, consequences have included soaring fuel prices amid a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Mr Cottrell referenced the “siloes and echo chambers” of social media and the need to acknowledge “our common humanity”, before turning to focus on his own congregation.

“We need this in our communities here in Yorkshire and across the north of England, where so many people feel left behind and where so many young people grow up with little hope of a better future,” he said.

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Mr Cottrell, who became the 98th Archbishop of York in 2020, ended the sermon on a lighter note of celebration.

He said: “Which is also why this Easter day we must quench other thirsts as well. Open the beer. Crack open the champagne. Make that margarita.

“Pop another olive in your martini, or if it is your thing, just do that very English thing, and put the kettle on.”

Meanwhile, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales spoke of a humanity “scarred by warfare”.

Delivering his first Easter sermon since becoming Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth said: “In our present times the world is so often confusing and conflicted, subject to ever-changing and often illusory demands and attractions.

“Humanity is marked, scarred, by warfare and injustice, often instigated by greed and misguided power, bringing harm and death to so many and so often the most vulnerable.”