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British-Iranian bishop writes prayers for Iran

British-Iranian bishop writes prayers for Iran

Photo: Twitter @churchofengland

British-Iranian Anglican bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani has written and recorded prayers for the Iran, as protests continue in the wake of the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Bishop Guli is the daughter of the first Persian Anglican bishop of Iran, Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, and sister of Bahram Dehqani-Tafti, who was among the at least eight Iranian Christians killed in the early years of the Islamic Republic.

Bishop Guli was forced to flee Iran, along with the rest of her family, shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The two prayers she has written were published on Friday on the website of the Church of England. 

You can read them below and also watch the bishop reading them, in Persian, in this video.

A prayer for the people of Iran

Lord Jesus Christ,
We hold before you the people of Iran.
May the tears shed in your earthly life
be balm for all who weep,
and may the prayers of your pilgrimage
give strength to all who suffer;
for your mercy’s sake.
Amen.

Prayer for Anglicans in Iran

Ever-living God,
whose Church is strengthened by the blood of the martyrs,
we thank you for the witness of the Anglican Church in Iran
and pray for the faithful remnant who endure.
In suffering, sustain them;
in fragility, nurture them;
in isolation, surround them with your love. 
May we see your presence in the small and vulnerable, 
for the bruised reed you do not break, nor the smouldering wick snuff out.
Renew us, and the persecuted Church, in the message of hope
shown in the death and resurrection of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen