In an act of interfaith solidarity, Christian and Jewish representatives were among the faith leaders united in Westminster Cathedral Hall with prayer and calls for peace on 18 October.
Hosted by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, the event also highlighted a visit to the UK by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue at the Holy See (pictured below right).
Senior Christian, ecumenical and faith leaders highlighted dialogue and mutual understanding in an increasingly divided world. The event featured messages from senior Vatican and Catholic leaders, who encouraged faith communities to stand together against antisemitism, anti-Christian persecution, hatred and violence. They said, “Peace must become more than words.”
Representing the United Reformed Church were the Revd Dr Nathan Eddy, Co-Director of the Council of Christians and Jews, the Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, former Moderator of the General Assembly, and Free Churches Group President of the CTE (Churches Together in England), the Revd Sally Thomas, Thames North Synod Ecumenical Officer, and David Jonathan, Director of Grassroots, an interfaith and community engagement programme in Luton (pictured above).
In a moving keynote address, Eliezer Zobin, a senior Jewish rabbi and dayan of the London Beth Din, acknowledged the pain, grief and divisions associated with ongoing conflicts, and urged all to recognise one another’s humanity and work intentionally to build understanding and trust.
Cardinal Koovakad spoke of the urgent need for faith leaders to be “persons of peace and partisans of peace”, noting that prayer should inspire practical cooperation in addressing violence, inequality, extremism and social fragmentation. He called on faith communities to deepen friendships across religious boundaries and work together for the common good.
The event also commemorated the enduring legacy of the historic 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, convened by Pope St John Paul II, which brought together faith leaders from around the world in a spirit of mutual respect and common purpose.
In an earlier event, a Peace Pledge was signed by representatives of the nine major religious traditions. The pledged declared that “peace and justice are inseparable” and committed to listening and acting for peace at all levels of society and within faith traditions:
“We commit ourselves to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence, terrorism and very form of hated are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion. We condemn every attempt to invoke the name of God or religion to justify violence or war, and we will do all in our power to address the conditions that give rise to hatred, extremism and conflict.”
This event was attended by the Revd Dr Kevin Snyman, the URC’s Head of World Justice and Inter Faith Relations (main image, pictured with Ajahn Amaro, a Theravāda Buddhist monk and teacher).
Inter Faith Week will take place this year from Sunday 8 to Sunday 15 November, taking the theme “Lighting the Way for a Shared Future”. The event is designed as a celebration of hope, providing a national focal point for strengthening interfaith relations and increasing awareness of the diverse faith communities across the UK.
Read David (“Johny”) Jonathan’s reflections on 25 years of interfaith relations in Luton in the latest edition of Reformed (Issue 7/2026).
Images: main, courtesy of URC delegation; Cardinal Koovakad by Lorenzo Iorfino, Creative Commons 4.0