The Anglican Church of Canada Logo
A blue graphic featuring the Anglican Church of Canada primatial crest with a red cross and green maple leaves on the left, and the words “From the Primate” in white serif type on the right.

Primate writes open letter to Primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East

Published on 
May 7, 2026

The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum   
Archbishop of Jerusalem
Primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East  

Dear  Archbishop Hosam, sisters and brothers in Christ in Jerusalem and the Holy Land,   

The close relationship between Canadian Anglicans and the people of your diocese and province goes back several decades. It has included exchanges, pilgrimages, solidarity visits and practical gestures of support. We have shared moments of celebration and consolation as our respective churches have journeyed together with intent and much affection. May this always be so. 

This year, as we mark the Seventh Sunday of Easter, designated in the Anglican Church of Canada as Jerusalem and the Holy Land Sunday, we are deeply conscious of the horrific violence and other hardships faced across the region by Christians, those of other faiths and the Palestinian community as a whole.   

In your recent Easter letter, you spoke of the immense challenge of seeking to be people of life and resurrection while also “in the midst of the tomb.” We have listened with compassion and frustration to the cries of pain, fear and indignation arising from across the Holy Land, longing to enable healing, peace and justice. And as war in the region has by turns intensified and subsided in these last weeks with devastating consequences, we watch and wait alongside you with prayerful vigilance, ever conscious of both your vulnerability and your remarkable resilience and courage.  

Know that you and Christians of all the churches in the region of the Holy Land are not forgotten. While we mark our solidarity in a particular way on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, I am sharing this letter publicly to encourage Canadian Anglicans to continue holding you in prayer as this time of violence and uncertainty unfolds in the land of your ancestors, the land where Jesus walked. 

We remain steadfast with you in the indestructible hope of the Resurrection, trusting that love and peace will prevail, that justice will flow and that God will make all things new. 

 Yours faithfully,

[signed] +Shane
The Most Reverend Shane Parker
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.