The Archbishop of Canterbury: relentless bombing of Gaza must stop

On Nov 13, 2023

Pope Francis (R) smiles with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the end of vespers prayers at the monastery church of San Gregorio al Celio in Rome, Italy, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Tony Gentile - RTSQWZU

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the relentless bombardment of hospitals and civilians in Gaza is intolerable and the situation is catastrophic.

He said he prays for the “courageous staff and the patients of the Anglican-run Al-Ahli Hospital”.

In a tweet on Saturday night, he said: “It’s against international humanitarian law – it must stop and stop now”.

He said the misuse of hospitals by Hamas does not justify attacks by Israel – “Two wrongs don’t make a right”.

His tweet followed a strongly worded letter from Palestinian Christians demanding he speak truth to power.

The letter’s contents are reported by The Guardian , which says it comes from a congregation in Amman, of overwhelmingly Palestinian Christian refugees forced to leave their homes in 1948.

The report quotes the letter: “We continue to have concerns, as expressed by others, that the British government’s relationships with Jewish leaders matter more to Anglican leaders than the basic principles of justice, freedom and the right of return for the oldest Christian community in the world.”