London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Easter sermons: Do not lose heart over conflicts, Archbishop of Canterbury says

Easter sermons: Do not lose heart over conflicts, Archbishop of Canterbury says

The Archbishop of Canterbury has used his Easter sermons to say "we must not lose heart" over the war in Ukraine or the situation in Israel and Palestine.

Preaching at Canterbury Cathedral on Easter Sunday, Justin Welby said that "true peace is no aimless daydream".

The resurrection teaches Christians that "life triumphs over death, light over darkness", he added.

He also warned that those who "oppress and subjugate others" will "face divine justice".

Mr Welby spoke at an early morning Sunday service and later gave a longer version of the sermon during Easter Eucharist.

He paid tribute to the "the extraordinary courageous work of so many men and women" involved in reaching the Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed 25 years ago on Monday.

The 1998 peace deal ended Northern Ireland's decades-long violent conflict known as the Troubles.

"Indeed it was churches and monasteries compelled by the living Christ who spent years before 1998 secretly - at huge risk - building the bridges that opened the way for the first ceasefires and considerations of peace," Mr Welby said.

He said the "political courage" needed to produce the Windsor Framework - an agreement that aims to fix post-Brexit problems in Northern Ireland - was a "reminder that reconciliation and peace are not one-off events, but long journeys requiring determination, stamina and faith".

"We do not lose heart but we pray and we work for Ukraine and Russia, for Israel and Palestine with the recent tragedies especially, and for the other so often forgotten struggles of our world knowing that because of the resurrection, peace, true peace, is no aimless daydream, but is a reality offered because Christ was raised from the dead."

Mr Welby also said "cruel and oppressive leaders might look as though they only get stronger, yet they will vanish - the power of the resurrection is infinitely greater than they are".

He said Christians see "the reality of the resurrection around us in all corners of the world" - including in "relationships that find warmth again after many years of hurt and estrangement", and "in conflict reconciled and hatreds overcome".

In his own Easter message, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Christian values of "tolerance, compassion and charity" are embedded in British culture.

Mr Sunak, a Hindu, said Easter Sunday is a chance to reflect on the contribution made by Christian communities in the UK, adding they offer "support and a sense of belonging to so many across the country".

He said the religion is part of the "national fabric" and "its values are British values".

The Pope leading Easter Sunday Mass at St Peter's Square in Vatican City


Elsewhere, the Pope - who recently spent time in hospital with a respiratory infection - celebrated Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter's Square in Rome.

Crowds of Catholic worshippers gathered to see the 86-year-old pontiff, who arrived in a wheelchair but stood for parts of the service.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×