A number of Christian leaders in Britain and Ireland have signed a Christian Aid statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and Israel.
This is encouraging me, but what worries me is the number of names that are not on the list.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York (the two most senior members of the Church of England) do not appear to have signed. Nor does the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, who leads the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.
I am pleased to see that the leaders of the Church of Scotland, Methodists, United Reformed Church and Quakers have signed. As a member of a Baptist church, I am disappointed that the President of the Baptist Union of Great Britain does not appear on the list, although I am encouraged to see that the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Wales has added her signature.
As usual when it comes to opposition to war, more church leaders in Scotland and Wales have signed up than church leaders in England.
Mark Strange, the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church (that is to say, the Anglican church in Scotland) has added his name, despite his English opposite numbers failing to do so. So has the Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, William Nolan. They are joined – as already mentioned – by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Sally Foster-Fulton, as well as the Scottish leaders of the Quakers and United Reformed Church.
When it comes to Wales, signatories include Jeff Williams, President of the Union of Welsh Independents (a Welsh-speaking Congregationalist denomination with a strong history of standing up for peace). He is joined by Judith Morris, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Wales; by Mary Stallard, the Anglican Bishop of Llandaff, and by two Welsh Methodist leaders.
The only Irish signatories are two archbishops from the Anglican Church of Ireland, John McDowell and Michael Jackson.
Other signatories include representatives of Britain-wide denominations: Gill Newton and Kerry Scarlett, who are President and Vice-President of the Methodist Church in Britain; Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church; and Paul Parker, Recording Clerk of Quakers in Britain.
I am pleased to see that Mike Royal, a Pentecostal Bishop and General Secretary of Churches Together in England (a body about which I have not always been enthusiastic) has also signed the statement.
The remaining signatories are representatives of charities and campaigning groups, such as Cafod, the Amos Trust and the Fellowship of Reconciliation.
So what’s the reason for the missing signatories? I dare say some church leaders just didn’t get back to Christian Aid in time. I appreciate it must have been a rush to get the statement published.
But it is likely that others chose not to sign the statement. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, made headlines just after the Hamas attack on 7 October by calling for the protection of civilians in Gaza. Why will he not go further and call for a ceasefire? Now is the time for Christians to speak out against violence and especially against attacks on civilians – whoever is committing them.
Symon Hill 