'Look for the good', says bishop in Easter message
Diocese of ChelmsfordAn Anglican bishop has urged communities to "continue looking for the good" in her Easter message.
The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani spoke about her recent visit to Israel and Palestine, and she shared solidarity with people who have been living "under intolerable conditions," especially in the West Bank.
Last summer, analysts backed by the United Nations said half a million people - a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza - were suffering from famine.
"Communities are being decimated and prospects for a lasting and just peace for all seem bleaker than ever," she said.
"And, at the time of writing, all this continues while war rages in the Middle East."
During her trip she said she was asked to talk at St Philip's Church in Nablus, in the West Bank.
"But what to say to people living with such pain?" she questioned.
"I confess I found it quite a challenge. I offered them greetings from that other beleaguered Christian community close to my heart in Iran."
ReutersShe has been Bishop of Chelmsford since April 2021, having fled Iran during the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Francis-Dehqani said she spoke about "Christian hope which persists even through the darkest times".
"Finally, I reminded them, and all of us, to continue looking for the good, lest we be overwhelmed by the evil. For there is always goodness, even in the most vile situations."
She encouraged people to have the strength to bear suffering and courage to continue speaking for justice.
"I wish you a blessed and joyful Easter."
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