Letter from the Bench of Bishops to the Foreign Secretary

The Bench of Bishops have sent the following letter to the Foreign Secretary to express their concern about the situation in Israel and Palestine. It has been copied to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Wales, all Welsh MPs and Senedd Members.

Dear Foreign Secretary,

We write as the Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales to urge you to use every possible effort to secure a swift and just settlement to the current appalling crisis in Israel and Palestine.

The heartbreaking scenes which we are witnessing daily, and the shocking reports which we are receiving from churches, Christian organisations, faith partners and humanitarian agencies in the region, call for urgent action to alleviate the suffering and to bring this tragic conflict to an end.

Inspired by our common inheritance in the Hebrew Scriptures, on which so many of our society’s most fundamental values rest, we are moved by the words of the prophet Micah (6:8)

…what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

We are only too well aware of the enormous and often conflicting pressures with which you and your colleagues must contend, and we are under no illusions that there can be easy or simple answers to this most agonising of conflicts.

Nonetheless, we wish to add our voices to those who are appealing to the Government to do everything in its power to bring justice to those who are suffering in this current crisis and to relieve the intolerable suffering of those, of all communities, who are affected by war, hunger, displacement, harassment and fear.

We ask that you bring pressure and persuasion to bear on those in power to step back from further violence, to end the language of hate and division, to exercise restraint, and to pursue the hard, but ultimately vital, work of reconciliation to create a just and lasting peace.

As a Church, we commit ourselves to support this work in prayer, by example and by supporting the organisations taking forward the work of justice and mercy in the region.

Please be assured of our continued prayers for you and your colleagues as you take forward what we know is an incredibly challenging but essential task.

The Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales

The Right Reverend. Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph;

The Right Reverend. Cherry Vann, Bishop of Monmouth;

The Right Reverend. John Lomas, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon;

The Right Reverend. Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff;

The Right Reverend. Dorrien Davies, Bishop of St Davids;

The Right Reverend. David Morris, Assistant Bishop of Bangor.