A peace vigil was held in London on Thursday, 30 April, at Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church in Kensington to pray for peace in the Middle East.
The vigil was attended by Bishop Jim Curry, Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops’ Conference as well as Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England, and His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Great Britain and Ireland and Churches Together in England’s President for the Orthodox Churches.
During the service, an address was given by Dr Harry Hagopian, a public international lawyer who was also Assistant General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, and Executive Director of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Committee.
Dr Hagopian reminded the congregation that “sustainable peace is not achieved through force, but through justice, equality, and the recognition of our shared humanity. It is our duty to amplify this call in every community, in every church, and in every heart.”
He closed by recalling the powerful words of St Francis of Assisi’s prayer for peace and their relevance today, “in a world of crisis, chaos, and dog-eat-dog tensions.”
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