There had been speculation that Welby might issue a plea for a ceasefire with Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, but there may well have been diplomatic sensitivities if it had been issued with Bartholomew, rather than Theophilos III, the Orthodox patriarch in Jerusalem.
On Sunday, Pope Francis spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden by telephone, the Vatican confirmed, to discuss various conflicts and paths to peace. At the regular Angelus prayer at St Peter’s in Rome earlier in the day, the Pope also spoke of his concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the attacks on the al-Ahli hospital and the Greek Orthodox church.
“I renew my appeal for spaces to be opened, for humanitarian aid to continue to arrive and for hostages to be freed,” said the pope.
During his visit to Jerusalem, Welby held talks with church leaders, renewed his call for hostages taken during the Hamas attack to be freed and expressed his sympathy for the victims of that attack in Israel.
Welby preached Sunday at a service in St. George’s Cathedral. He spoke to reporters afterward, warning them of the danger in assuming Israel was responsible for the rocket attack on the al-Ahli hospital. “Do not start propagating another blood libel,” he warned, a reference to false accusations of atrocities by Jews against Christians that have inflamed antisemitism in the past and led to pogroms.
But on Monday, Welby issued a statement to clarify his remarks, saying he regretted use of the phrase “blood libel,” explaining that he had met relatives of victims and hostages of the Hamas attack before he was interviewed.
“I was attempting to articulate that many Jewish people are deeply conscious of a long history of accusations that trace back to the darkest times of their history. That must be borne in mind when we respond to events in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Especially here in Europe, the vast increase of the profound wickedness of antisemitism must be resisted, and that must involve being aware of that history,” Welby said in his statement.
The archbishop went on to acknowledge that Palestinians must be able to express their own distress at what “is being endured by innocent people living under Israeli bombardment and siege.”
“There must be space for that trauma and grief to be expressed and heard. We must not silence it, dismiss it, or rush to judge it. As those who are not directly involved, we need to hold space for the suffering of all innocent people to be expressed, and to grieve with them,” he said.
Welby reiterated the importance of concentrating “on those who suffer, seek peace and pursue it,” and said he will continue to pray for “lasting justice, security and peace” for the people in the region.
This article originally appeared here.
