the Door

THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, prayed with hunger strikers and pledged to support refugees in Camp Ashraf in Iraq, during a meeting in Oxford.
The Archbishop was approached in Oxford by three hunger strikers during the College of Bishops, an annual meeting of all of the Church of England’s bishops, in September.
It was the first time the meeting had taken place in the city. Across the world people are protesting at the treatment of people in Camp Ashraf, which is home to 3,500 Iranian refugees. The camp was attacked by the Iraqi Army in July when 36 people were imprisoned and 11 were killed.
Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, was at the meeting, along with Oxford-based campaigner Mahi Stokes.
Bishop John said: ‘The Archbishop was clearly moved when he met three of the hunger strikers and heard their stories. Each one had either been in prison or had family members in prison in Iran for peaceful protest.
‘The three hunger strikers who came to Oxford, including a young woman of 19, were on day 50 of their action and a number of their colleagues had been hospitalised.
‘The Archbishop listened attentively to the stories he was told and promised new lines of action to help resolve the Ashraf situation.
‘He also prayed with these people, and their indefatigable advocate Mrs Stokes. This prayer was greatly appreciated by these gallant people.’ Bishop John has written to clergy across the diocese, highlighting the plight of people in Camp Ashraf.
He added: ‘If you feel moved to pray about the situation, and/or to write to the Government, the US Ambassador, or the Iraqi Ambassador, that would be good.’

Bishop John's full message