LONDON — Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally on Thursday expressed solidarity with Pope Leo XIV in calling for peace in the Middle East, standing by the pontiff as his advocacy drew public criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mullally, who assumed her role as head of the Church of England in January, said she stood with the pope in his “courageous call for peace.” Trump last weekend said the pope was “terrible for foreign policy.”
“As innocent people are killed and displaced, families torn apart, and futures destroyed, the human cost of war is incalculable,” Mullally said in a statement. “It is the calling of every Christian – and of all people of faith and goodwill – to work and pray for peace.”
Without mentioning Trump by name, Mullally called on Christians to “urge all those entrusted with political authority to pursue every possible peaceful and just means of resolving conflict.”
In addition to leading the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The communion is an association of Christian churches — including the Episcopal Church in the United States — with more than 100 million members.