[Lambeth Conference] At a time where the world still faces the challenge of COVID-19 alongside ongoing issues like climate crisis, poverty, economic injustice, conflict and inequality, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has launched a Lambeth Conference prayer journey to share “prayers of hope for the world.”

The prayer journey invites Christians around the world to join in praying for world issues. It features a wide range of prayers that have been shared by Anglican bishops, clergy and laity. Often recorded via virtual technology during times of lockdown – these prayers have been sent from dioceses and nations from across the global Anglican Communion.

Prayers will focus on daily themes of hope, proclaiming good news, pandemic response, people, planet, peace, politics, justice and poverty.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. Photo: Lambeth Conference

In a video message about the prayer journey, Welby also shared how the prayer season will mark the start of the Lambeth Conference community journeying together in the lead up to the meeting of Anglican bishops, which was rescheduled to 2022 because of the pandemic. During 2021, the conference community will be invited to take part in a series of virtual or regional discussions on some of the conference themes – in preparation for the gathering.

The Lambeth Conference will offer a chance to “grapple with many … world issues, as well as matters of common interest in the life of our Anglican Communion,” Welby said in a video message. “To start this journey off, we’ll begin as we always must: in prayer. …  In such difficult times – and with our world facing such challenges – we need to listen to God, to be alert to the needs of the world and to love one another as we share our prayers and our needs.”

The season of prayer will include prayers from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry; Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell; Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town; Archbishop Daniel Sarfo of Kumasi, Ghana; Bishop Pradeep Samantaroy, Amritsar, North India; Bishop Coadjutor Samy Shehata, Egypt, and Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.