Prayers for Peace

Pastoral letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York

24 February 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.
John 14.27

Many of us will have troubled hearts as we watch with horror the attack by Russia on Ukraine. As we have already said, this attack is an act of evil, imperilling as it does the relative peace and security that Europe has enjoyed for so long. The attack by one nation on a free, democratic country has rightly provoked outrage, sanctions and condemnation.

We lament with the people of Ukraine, and we pray for the innocent, the frightened and those who have lost loved ones, homes, and family.

We continue to call for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces as well as wide-ranging efforts to ensure peace, stability and security.

These events remind us powerfully that peace is precious and it is fragile. In Chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to his disciples at the Last Supper and he leaves them his peace. This is not a mere greeting, but rather something deep and abiding. This peace is something that only Jesus gives; for it is a gratuitous gift, a way of living, something to be received for the gift of peace is the gift of Jesus himself. That is why the Lord is able to offer reassurance to our hearts, why those who receive the gift of the peace of Jesus Christ at the deepest of levels should not be afraid.

Peace, therefore, is so much more than the absence of war. It is a gift, and it is also a decision, a gift that must be received. It is a choice we make that shapes the way we live well alongside each other. It characterises our relationship with God. It comes into being by seeking justice.

In these days of uncertainty and fear, we pray that each of us might again turn to the Lord and receive God’s gift of peace, work for God’s justice, know God’s reconciliation and love, and choose paths not of hatred or destruction, of violence or retribution, but God’s way of justice, mercy and peace.

As Christians, our response to a crisis must always be rooted in prayer. And so we invite you to join with us in praying most earnestly for an outpouring of the Spirit of God, that the world may once again choose peace, strengthening those international bodies that enable us to work and live together as one humanity inhabiting one world.

We pray for those in Ukraine who suffer grievously, for all who take decisions around the world, and for the people and leaders of Russia too.
In practical terms we invite you:

• to make this Sunday, 27 February, a day of prayer for peace;
• on Tuesday 1 March at 6pm (GMT) to pray with the Diocese in Europe for the chaplaincy in Kyiv and the churches that serve Ukraine; and
• to participate with the wider church in Pope Francis’s call to make Ash Wednesday, 2 March, a day of prayer and fasting for peace.

You can find liturgical resources on the Church of England website here.

However and whenever you pray, pray that the world may choose peace, and be assured of our prayers for you.

With every blessing,

The Most Revd & Rt Hon Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Revd & Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell Archbishop of York

A letter from the Primate, The Most Reverend Geoffrey Smith

Friday 25 February 2022

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I write to you in response to the escalating situation in Ukraine.

The attack by Russia is an act of evil which impacts not only upon Ukraine, but Europe and the whole world. This attack by one nation on another has rightly provoked outrage, sanctions, and condemnation.

Our rightful response must be first to pray to call upon God to seek His intervention in the hearts and minds of our world leaders that they may once again choose peace over war.

We must pray for the people of Ukraine, for their safety and wellbeing and pray for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Finally we must pray for the strength of those who work across international borders for unity and harmony.

I echo the call of the Archbishop of Canterbury to make this Sunday a day for Prayer for Peace and I have included a prayer that you may like to use.

I also encourage you to participate with the wider church in Pope Francis’s call to make Ash Wednesday, 2 March, a day of prayer and fasting for peace.

Psalm 46 opens with a confident statement of faith: God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. This is a much-needed reminder in times like these of the sovereignty and power of God and of his presence with us that calls us to trust in him.

The psalm goes on to say he makes wars cease to the ends of the earth (verse 9). This is our prayer that once again God would intervene and bring an end to war.

The psalmist then declares God’s message to us “be still and know that I am God.” This message continues to be the message for us today. It reminds us to have confidence in our God who is indeed a refuge and strength for all who call upon him.

Be assured of my prayers for you at this time.

With every blessing,
The Most Reverend Geoffrey Smith
Archbishop of Adelaide and Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia

Resources for Prayer

[APPAA – In times of international tensions]

Almighty God, ruler of all,
in whose kingdom peace and righteousness abound;
we pray for those who are in conflict especially Ukraine.
Take away prejudice, cruelty, and revenge.
Grant that barriers which divide may crumble,
suspicions disappear and hatreds cease,
through Jesus Christ our mediator. Amen.

A Prayer for Ukraine

Sovereign God,
We pray for the nation of Ukraine, its leaders and people.
We pray that you would make your presence known to them at this time of strife.
We pray for their protection and for an end to the Russian invasion.
We pray for the innocent, the frightened, the dispossessed, and those who have lost loved ones, homes and family.
We pray that you would bless the endeavours of those who work for peace and an end to this conflict.
Have mercy, we pray, on Ukraine.
May your peace rule in the hearts and minds of all.
Continue to stir up the leaders of the world to work together for the good of all.
We pray this in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.