UK church delegation meets Palestinian President

A delegation of senior Church figures from the UK has met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The delegation included the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Rev Patrick Kelly, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Dr Rowan Williams, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev David Arnott.

The meeting was held in London at the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Palace.

They discussed the plight of Christians in the Holy Land and the difficult peace process.

President Abbas said that the resumption of talks in the context of the Arab Spring offered a rare opportunity that needed to be grasped now or it would be missed forever.

"Having worshipped in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, I have seen the struggle of the Palestinian people in the very basics of living but also their deep desire for a negotiated peace between the peoples who share the land. I urge everyone to grasp this opportunity," said Rev Arnott.

Archbishop Kelly was joining the meeting fresh out of the Holy Land Coordination, a major conference on the Holy Land organised by the Catholic Church each year.

He said there was an "urgent" need for "strong and creative leadership" to address the core issues of the conflict.

"The people's desperate yearning for peace needs to be fulfilled and this meeting today with President Abbas reinforced our determination," he said.

Dr Williams added that young people, who continue to leave the region in large numbers, were longing for stability.

"We continue to share the hopes of the Palestinian leadership for a lasting and just peace in the Holy Land, and we pray for the courage on all sides to break the current deadlock," he said.

"Young people in Israel and in the Palestinian territories long for justice and stability and they must not be let down."