Revd Munther Isaac calls out Archbishop of Canterbury and Church of England – ‘They lack courage’

In an interview with The Guardian Newspaper, Revd Munther Isaac revealed that plans to meet with Archbishop Welby had been cancelled because he spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally and shared a platform with Jeremy Corbyn.

21 February, 2024.

Revd Munther Isaac has been in the UK for a short visit, during which he has made waves in both the Church and political arenas for his unequivocal criticism of those in power and their lack of courage and responsibility to stop the slaughter of innocent men, women and children in Gaza.

According to the article in The Guardian, Isaac and Welby were due to meet in a private setting, which was called off by the latter after Isaac shared a platform with Jeremy Corbyn at the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s protest on Saturday 17th February, at the invite of the Palestinian Ambassador, Dr Husam Zomlot.

In the article Isaac is quoted as saying;

“It’s shameful. It’s not my type of Christianity not to be willing to meet another pastor because you don’t want to explain why you met him.

“This sums up the Church of England. They danced around positions, and ended up saying nothing. They lack the courage to say things.”

Lambeth Palace said it did not comment on private meetings.

In the interview, Revd Isaac also reiterated his criticism of the Church and Politicians, who have ‘turned a blind eye to what is happening in Gaza’ stating;

Churches seem paralysed, and they seem willing to sacrifice the Christian presence in Palestine for the sake of avoiding controversy and not criticising Israel. I have had so many difficult conversations with church leaders.

“I know from meeting many church leaders that in private, they say one thing, and then in public, they say another thing. I’ve had the same experience with many politicians and diplomats.”

Sabeel-Kairos is proud to call the Revd Munther Isaac a colleague and friend, who speaks truth to power no matter the cost, and stands in full support of his comments during his time here in the UK.

Update: Feb 29th.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised to Revd. Dr Munther Isaac and said he ‘deeply regrets his decision’ and will look forward to ‘meeting and praying with him next week’. You can read the full response here: Archbishop of Canterbury on X

We welcome the Archbishop’s apology and are delighted to hear he will be meeting with Munther next week. Munther’s prophetic voice is one that should be heard in all of our Churches during this critical time in Palestine and Israel.