Archbishop of Canterbury prays for Trump to push for peace in Middle East

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said that Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East could be decisive while praying for him to have the “determination and courage” to push for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Welby, who was speaking on the penultimate day of his twelve day tour of the region said:

People have lots of views about President Trump but when he comes here, my prayer for him is that he will be filled with determination and courage and given gifts of wisdom that will make a difference.

During his comments at a press conference at the St John’s Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, Welby spoke of past US presidents and their role saying: “We know from history in this region that determined leadership by the president of the United States, together with patient working by lots of other people in the background, often unknown, can tip things very, very decisively.”

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“His office has the capacity to make a difference”, said Welby “It’s one of the very few offices in the world outside this region that does. And so we pray for him to be able to do that.” During his trip, the Archbishop visited Palestinian Christian communities and spoke of their suffering.

Archbishop of Canterbury @JustinWelby visited #Gaza today. Read more: https://t.co/txW1qUPfC0 pic.twitter.com/WSL6G4rVSu

— Lambeth Palace (@lambethpalace) May 4, 2017

He described his visit to Gaza as “genuinely breathtaking, something I’ll never forget”. Aides said he had been struck by the physical devastation of the region, the “collective trauma” of its people and their anxiety about the future. He was also inspired by the resilience of those he met, including medics who have committed to staying in the Strip, The Guardian reported.

Trump is expected in Jerusalem on 22 May as part of his first foreign, which will include a visit to Saudi Arabia.