Archbishop Richard Moth of Westminster has said that Christians are called to promote peace in the Holy Land as he condemned violence, which he stated undermined “hopes for peaceful co-existence in a two-state solution”.

Archbishop Moth said the Church in England and Wales had a “particular concern about the Holy Land”, pointing to the Holy Land Coordination, an annual pilgrimage of bishops from around the world to support Christians in the region.

“However, violence continues to engulf the Holy Land, pushing people apart while undermining hopes for peaceful co-existence in a two-state solution. It has also led to a polarisation of views and even despair, which make the necessary bridge-building for forgiveness and reconciliation so much more difficult,” he said.

The Holy See, which encouraged the pilgrimage, affirms the two-state solution, meaning it supports the existence of both an Israeli and a Palestinian state as a framework for peace in the region. In August, Pope Leo XIV urged the international community to work towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, adding that it should be done “for a just and lasting peace”.

Archbishop Moth, pointing to the Holy Land Coordination, said that initiatives which “seek to speak out about injustice, violence and conflict are important to raise awareness”. He condemned violence and conflict “unequivocally, wherever it is perpetrated, as a stain on humanity”.

“However, our calling as Christians goes beyond commentary and condemnation; it is to promote peace, finding hope in our common humanity,” he said.

“As Pope Francis said during his visit to the Holy Land in 2014: ‘The time has come for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common good, the courage to forge a peace which rests on the acknowledgment by all of the right of two States (two peoples and three faiths) to live in peace and security within internationally recognised borders.’

“This was recently echoed by Pope Leo XIV during the Angelus on 16 August 2026, when he stated, ‘I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace.’ This should remain the goal of all people of good will.”

The archbishop emphasised that people of faith had a “particular and shared responsibility” to engage in dialogue and promote mutual respect, constructing peace “wherever we are”.

“As Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said when he visited the Christian community in Gaza in June: ‘War does not excuse us from living out the Gospel. It does not change our behaviour, our relationships with one another, or our relationships with others.’

“He went on to encourage the community to respond not with judgement or fear, but with compassion and generosity. ‘If someone asks you to go one mile, go two miles. This is what is required of us, even in Gaza’.”

Archbishop Moth encouraged the faithful to follow that example by building bridges between communities.