The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has met with Layan Nasir, a 26-year-old Palestinian Christian recently released from prison, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
The meeting occurred in the Palestinian Christian town of Birzeit following Nasir's release from Israel’s Damon Prison in May, where she has faced multiple periods of administrative detention over the past five years.
The Archbishop's pilgrimage sought to foster understanding and dialogue among different faith communities in a region affected by prolonged conflict. Archbishop Mullally engaged with various church leaders and community representatives to discuss the challenges they face.
During the meeting with Nasir and her family, Archbishop Mullally offered prayers and listened to her experiences about her time in detention.
“It was a great joy to meet with Layan Nasir in Birzeit today after her release from Israeli prison," the Archbishop said.
"I’m grateful to Layan’s family for their hospitality in their home. I will pray for them, and for God’s blessing and healing for Layan after the terrible ordeal of her incarceration.
"I pray for the release of all people who have been unjustly imprisoned, here in Palestine and Israel and around the world.”
Earlier in her pilgrimage, Archbishop Mullally delivered a sermon at St Peter’s Church in Birzeit, addressing the challenges faced by Palestinian Christians and the broader community.
In her sermon, she told the congregation she would use her role as Archbishop to seek “the peace you desire and the freedom you deserve”.
Acknowledging that "faithfulness can be costly", Archbishop Mullally lamented that 2,000 years after the birth of Christ "you are now facing so many barriers to practising your faith and living freely".
She said: "I hope that, through my visit, you may also know that you are not forgotten by the wider Body of Christ. The Church is called to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. The Church stands with you in your right to live in freedom and dignity."
She continued, “And your faithful, hopeful resistance is also visible as fathers and mothers navigate the web of checkpoints daily to provide an income for their family, or to get their children to school to provide for their future, or as you gather to break bread together week by week in this church.
"All these acts of faithful resistance point to our hope in Jesus Christ and reflect your ongoing struggle for freedom and dignity.”
The pilgrimage underscores the Church of England's commitment to supporting peace efforts in the Middle East and comes at a critical time, with many Palestinians continuing to face hardships related to the ongoing conflict with Israel.
