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Archbishop of Canterbury expresses solidarity with Pope Leo XIV in calling for peace in Iran

LONDON (AP) — The Archbishop of Canterbury on Thursday expressed solidarity with Pope Leo XIV in calling for peace in the Middle East.

Archbishop Sarah Mullally, who assumed her role as head of the Church of England in January, said she stood with the pope in his “courageous call for peace.” Leo’s comments have drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who last weekend criticized the pope for being “terrible for foreign policy.”

“As innocent people are killed and displaced, families torn apart, and futures destroyed, the human cost of war is incalculable,” Mullally said in a statement. “It is the calling of every Christian – and of all people of faith and goodwill – to work and pray for peace.”

Though she didn’t mention Trump by name, Mullally said that Christians must “urge all those entrusted with political authority to pursue every possible peaceful and just means of resolving conflict.’’

In addition to heading the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The communion is an association of Christian churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, that together have more than 100 million members.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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