Posted on: November 2, 2026 9:12 AM
Photo Credit: Chris Warde-Jones/Lambeth Palace.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, joined Christian and other faith leaders at the closing day of the 40th International Meeting for Peace in Assisi, the city of St Francis, on Tuesday 27 October.
The occasion marked the 40th anniversary of peace gatherings in Assisi, which began in October 1986 when Pope St. John Paul II invited leaders of the world's major religions to Assisi, to pray for peace. It marked the first time in history that global religious leaders gathered side-by-side for this purpose. Robert Runcie was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to attend the 1986 meeting
At the 2026 gathering, Archbishop Sarah took part in an ecumenical prayer service with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and representatives of Churches and Christian communities at the Papal Basilica of St Francis of Assisi.
The service was led by Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, with meditations by the Ecumenical Patriarch and the Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna.
During the service, Archbishop Sarah said a prayer for all the countries of the world affected by war, violence and terrorism. The Christian leaders then joined other faith leaders and representatives at the closing ceremony, which included a video address by Pope Leo XIV, who was unable to fly to Assisi following his recent surgery.
In his message, the Pope urged all participants to join him in being 'unarmed instruments of the Lord’s peace' and said that 'war can never be waged in the name of God.'
The closing ceremony featured addresses by different faith leaders, and a moment of silence in memory of the victims of war. Archbishop Sarah then joined the faith leaders and representatives in lighting the Candelabra for Peace.