The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, is visiting Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 8-11 November 2025 on a pilgrimage of prayer and solidarity with The Most Revd Hosam Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem. Together, they will spend time in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the South Hebron Hills, Ramallah, and Nazareth, meeting local church leaders, congregations, and community organisations.
The purpose of the pilgrimage – entitled “A Pilgrimage of Prayer and Solidarity with the Living Stones of the Holy Land” – is to pray with and listen to local Christian communities of the region, often called the “Living Stones” of the Church. Archbishop Stephen also hopes to express the Church of England’s ongoing commitment to supporting justice, peacebuilding and reconciliation.
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell said:
“To walk where Jesus walked and to meet the Living Stones – our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ who bear faithful witness in the Holy Land today – is a profound privilege. This pilgrimage is an opportunity to listen, to pray, and to stand in solidarity with those who continue to work for peace, dignity, and hope amid deep and complex realities. My prayer is that our time together may be a sign of our shared faith and our longing for God’s reconciling love to be known by all.”
During the pilgrimage, the Archbishops will meet with church leaders, local clergy, and lay communities, including youth and women’s ministry representatives, and visit key Christian sites, including the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, St Andrew’s Church in Ramallah, and the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. The visit will conclude with prayers at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem before returning to the UK on 11 November.
The Most Revd Hosam Naoum has served as the 15th Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem since 2021. Born in Haifa and raised in Shefa’amr, Galilee, he leads the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which is home to approximately 7,000 Anglicans worshipping across twenty-eight congregations. The Diocese also oversees more than thirty institutions, including hospitals, schools, clinics, and rehabilitation centres across Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
Prayer for the Holy Land
To coincide with the UN International Day of Peace in 2025, Archbishop Hosam wrote a prayer for peace:
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: In your mercy, provide for all those in Gaza and beyond who suffer from hunger and starvation, that they may be given both physical bread to nourish their bodies and heavenly bread to sustain their souls. By the power of your Spirit, bring a speedy end to this cruel war, the release of all captives, care for the sick and wounded, comfort for those who have lost loved-ones, and the opening of a pathway for a just and lasting peace here in the very homeland where your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ministered during his earthly life; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
