CTE Presidents speak out against hate crime following mosque attack

09 October 2025

The Presidents of Churches Together in England, named below, have issued the following joint statement:

We are deeply concerned to learn of an arson attack on the Peace Community Centre and Mosque in Peacehaven, East Sussex.

We stand with the local Muslim community and all Muslims who will feel threatened and frightened by this attack on a religious community in England. Those who worship there will be heartbroken. We are at a dangerous inflection point and those who commit such hate crimes must not be allowed to win.

We say it again – an attack against one religious community is an attack against us all! We thank the emergency services for their swift response. As the clear up begins, we trust the leaders of the Peace Community Centre and Mosque are able to rebuild this place of worship as soon as possible.

• Bishop Tedroy Powell, CTE Pentecostal and Charismatic President, and National Bishop of the Church of God of Prophecy UK
• Rev Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of the Free Churches Group
• Bishop Paulina Hławiczka-Trotman, CTE President for the Fourth Presidency Group and Head of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain
• His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas, CTE President for the Orthodox Churches, and Archbishop of the Oecumenical Patriarchate (Diocese of Thyateira and Great Britain)