by Matthew Davies

"Today our main task is simply to pause in the presence of God." These words spoken by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, identified the mood of the several thousand people who gathered in St Paul's Cathedral, London, today in remembrance of all those who have died in Iraq in the course of the hostilities this year.

The service, which began at 11am, drew together leaders of faith communities, ecumenical dignitaries, Members of Parliament, servicemen and women from the United Kingdom and members of the royal family, including Her Majesty the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales.

During the Bidding, the Very Revd John Moses, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, prayed for those who have lost their lives or suffered injury, and with them remembered their families, colleagues and friends. He added, "We continue to hold before God all who are still on active service in Iraq; we pray for their well-being and for all who hold them in their hearts at home."

In his sermon, Archbishop Williams recognised the anxiety of friends and families "watching and waiting", and underscored the conflicting emotions that all this involves - "fierce loyalty to those actually putting their lives on the line, pride in their personal commitment, courage and skill, anger at those who seem to undermine them as they face the terrible risks of war; but also pain and bewilderment at the confusions of war itself, the shocking photographs of the innocent dead, the media experts with their daily questioning of how things are being run."

Archbishop Williams' pronounced message from today, however, was to pause in the presence of God. "...we can use this pause in God's presence to think a little about what it means to turn vision into reality," he said. "This is part of what we owe to the dead, the honour we give to those who struggled and sacrificed."

Prayers for penitence and reconciliation were led by: the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London; His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy O' Connor, Archbishop of Westminster; and Mrs Judy Jarvis, Vice President of the Methodist Conference.

The Choir of St Paul's Cathedral was conducted by John Scott with organists Mark Williams and Huw Williams.