The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the depth of the Easter story helps us understand a world marred by "deep suffering and conflict".
In an ecumenical Easter letter to the heads of Christian churches in the UK and around the world, Most Rev Dame Sarah Mullally highlighted in particular Ukraine, Sudan and the Middle East. She said the churches of the Holy Land are “bearing faithful witness under immense strain. We remember all who are displaced, oppressed, or forgotten, and we renew our calling as Christians to stand with the marginalised and to serve those most in need.”
Recalling the words of the anti-Nazi pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer that “only a suffering God can help” the archbishop quoted John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”.
She said Christ shows us that suffering and death don’t have the final word: “Christ has conquered death, and through him new life has begun," she added.
"The resurrection of Jesus is not only an event remembered; it is a living reality that shapes our hope, our witness, and our shared calling as Christians. It gives us confidence – deep, unshakeable confidence – in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The archbishop said that in the gardens of her official residence Lambeth Palace, the signs of Spring offer “a quiet echo of this mystery” as the plants and historic magnolia trees begin to blossom once again.
The letter continued, “Easter calls us to live from this hope: to trust in the victory of Christ, to stand alongside those who suffer, and to bear witness with renewed confidence to the Gospel. In a wounded world, we are called to be people of resurrection – people who live not in fear, but in hope; not in despair, but in the promise of new life.”