'Pray for Peace' say Church leaders following UK vote to take military action in Syria

Photo: Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes

Steven Wild, President of the Methodist Church

The Revd Steve Wild, The President and Dr Jill Barber, Vice-President of the Methodist Church have made a call for peace following the vote in the House of Commons last night to authorise UK military action in Syria.

The vote, taken on the evening of Wednesday 2 December, was 397 for and 223 against the air bombing of Syria.

The Revd Steve Wild and Dr Jill Barber, President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference have said: "We join with people of all faiths, as we pray for Syria following last night's decision that the UK will proceed with air strikes on ISIS/Daesh. Every death is tragic and we grieve for those who have been killed and those who will die as an escalation of military action as a result of the continuing conflict.

We pray for peace in the UK, following a difficult decision that has created sharp divisions.
We pray for peace in Syria, and for the communities and families already devastated by aerial bombing and the violence of the past four years. We pray for peace in the Middle East, that the distrust of governments in the region and beyond that helps to fuel radicalisation can be overcome.

We pray for peace in the world, that peoples and governments do not ignore the cries of the innocent and that preservation of life is at the heart of our actions.
We pray for peace."

Before the vote, the Methodist Church issued a joint statement with three other partner Churches - the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Church of Scotland and the United Reformed Church - to call for a reasoned response.