Justin Welby sorry for cancelling meeting with pastor who shared platform with Jeremy Corbyn
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The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised for cancelling a meeting with a Bethlehem-based pastor because he shared a platform with Jeremy Corbyn at a pro-Palestine rally.
The Most Rev Justin Welby cancelled plans to meet Lutheran pastor, Munther Isaac, earlier this month, explaining he could not meet the pastor if he shared a platform with the former Labour leader.
The pastor of the Christmas Evangelical Lutheran church in Bethlehem, has been critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza. His Christmas sermon went viral when he said that if Jesus Christ was born today, it would have been under the rubble.
Earlier this month, the pastor spoke at a Palestinian Solidarity Campaign rally at which Mr Corbyn was also a speaker after being invited by Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK.
The Archbishop has previously spoken out about the rise in anti-Semitism since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7 and it was reported that he was concerned that a meeting with the pastor would cause concern for the Jewish community.
This is not the first time that the Archbishop has waded into matters of politics and war, having repeatedly drawn criticism for his many interventions on issues such as the Illegal Migration Bill and the UK’s controversial Rwanda policy, tax and social care, universities protecting minority students, as well as changes to visa rules to curb migration.
In January, the Most Rev Justin Welby also dismissed criticism that intervening in political issues is not his job, saying: “I would say caring for people is very much my job and is very much the role of the Church.”
However, he has since said that he “deeply regrets” cancelling the meeting and issued an apology.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Recently I declined to meet with Rev Munther Isaac during his UK visit. I apologise for and deeply regret this decision, and the hurt, anger, and confusion it caused.
“I was wrong not to meet with my brother in Christ from the Holy Land, especially at this time of profound suffering for our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters. I look forward to speaking and praying with him next week.”
‘It’s shameful’
In an interview with The Guardian, Isaac had said that he was told by the archbishop’s aides that if he shared a platform with Mr Corbyn, no meeting could happen. Isaac said: “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 declined to comment further.
Brendan Cox, the widow of murdered MP, Jo Cox, who was killed by a far-right extremist in 2016, said in response: “Admitting mistakes - especially publicly-is the sign of a reflective and thoughtful leader.”
Mr Cox, who works with the campaign groups, Survivors Against Terror and the Together Coalition to build closer communities, added: “More people in the public eye should be open about the mistakes they make.”
In 2020 Labour suspended Mr Corbyn over his reaction to a highly critical report on anti-Semitism in the party.
The human rights watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, found Labour responsible for “unlawful” harassment and discrimination during Mr Corbyn’s four-and-a-half tenure as party leader.
However, he later said the scale of anti-Semitism within Labour had been “dramatically overstated” by opponents.
