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General Synod backs “hear”
The Church of England’s General Synod voted overwhelmingly to “hear” the “Kairos Palestine II” document, a contested Palestinian Christian statement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, after a debate that spanned Sunday evening and Monday morning.
“On Sunday evening, General Synod debate the Carlisle Diocesan motion (which they had passed in 2021) asking us to ‘receive’ the Kairos II Palestine document, which you can read here”
In the motion’s framing, Synod called on the Church to respond to “the call of Palestinian Christians to stand in solidarity with them and their fellow Palestinians in non-violent resistance to the ongoing occupation.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, told Synod, “The threat to Palestinian Christians in particular - whose numbers are becoming ever smaller - is existential,” and said, “Against this desperate backdrop, we are called to a new and active solidarity.”
The vote was described as passing overwhelmingly despite warnings from Jewish leaders, with the final version asking Synod to “hear” Kairos II instead of “receive” it.
The debate also included language rejecting antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility while lamenting the loss of life on both sides, according to the accounts of the motion’s contents.
Chief Rabbi: “falsehood”
Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, criticized Kairos II ahead of the debate, saying it “presents a one-sided account of a complex conflict, downplays the historical experiences and legitimate concerns of Jewish people, and offers little more than political activism dressed up as theology.”
After the vote, Mirvis said it was “shameful” that the Church of England General Synod recommended engagement with Kairos II, adding, “This is a document full of falsehood, which openly rejects dialogue, uses extreme rhetoric to challenge the very existence of Israel and objects to existing peace agreements in the region.”
Supporters of the motion said it was about listening to Palestinian Christian experience, and the Archbishop of Canterbury argued that hearing the “heartfelt expressions” of lived experience does not mean agreeing with everything in the documents.
In the Premier Christian News account, theologian Rev Dr Ian Paul said the document “actually articulates that in terms of talking about Israel as a colonial settler enterprise founded on racist principles.”
The Church’s own framing, as quoted by ArchbishopofCanterbury.org, said, “To hear the heartfelt expressions of the lived experiences of the Palestinian Christians does not mean we agree with everything in these documents - but it does mean that we listen with compassion, and stand in solidarity with them amidst the many injustices they face.”
What happens next
The motion’s supporters said it would echo beyond the Synod chamber, with Stewart Fyfe reading on behalf of Father Fadi Diab that the decision would reach “frightened children in Gaza, faithful congregations in Jerusalem, villages in the West Bank, refugee camps across our region.”
“This morning, Monday 13th July, the Church of England's General Synod voted in favour of a historic motion calling on the Church to "… Respond to the call of Palestinian Christians to stand in solidarity with them and their fellow Palestinians in non-violent resistance to the ongoing occupation”
The Jerusalem Post described the Kairos II text as a 14-page document titled “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide,” drafted on November 14, 2025 by the Palestinian Christian Ecumenical Initiative.
In that account, Kairos II “unequivocally defines Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide” and calls the State of Israel “a colonial enterprise built on racism,” while also downplaying and justifying the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
The vote was also tied to the Church’s stated approach to antisemitism and interfaith dialogue, with the motion described as encouraging engagement with the documents while “does not require agreement with every aspect.”
The stakes were framed in terms of Christian-Jewish relations and the Church’s role in public debate, with the Jerusalem Post quoting Mirvis warning that the document could “undermine decades of careful Jewish-Christian relationship-building.”
