By Jo Siedlecka, Independent Catholic News

Christians gathered for ecumenical prayers in St Matthews Church, Westminster, on Saturday, before joining the Christian Bloc on the latest National March for Palestine.

After a welcome by the Rector of St Matthews, Fr Philip Chester, this gathering statement was read, reminding all that it was All Souls Day when the Church comes together to remember all who have died:

“This day also marks the 107th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration… which was instrumental in the creation of the state of Israel, the dispossession of the Palestinian people and many decades of oppression and violence.

“With lament we recall the role played by Christian Zionist theology in this dark history. This same theology continues to be employed today as a pretext for ongoing ethnic cleansing, apartheid and genocide.

As we gather for prayers on this All Souls Day – mourning every life taken in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon and across the Middle East – we refuse to let our faith be used to justify so many atrocities. We are united in our belief in a gospel of liberation. None of us are free until all are free.”

After the service ended, participants from many denominations, including Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists, Quakers (and two dogs) processed out to join the main march to the American Embassy, led by a drummer.

One of the marchers, Jenny Rossiter from Kentish Town told ICN: “I had to join the service on All Souls Day to remember all those lives that have been cut short by this hideous conflict.”

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