The Archbishop of Canterbury spoke via mobile phone today to mourners at the funeral of Christians killed two days ago in church bombings in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

Twin attacks on Sunday outside Christ Church and St John’s Catholic Church in the eastern city killed 17 people and left many more injured.

Archbishop Justin Welby, who is currently on a St Patrick’s Day pilgrimage to Northern Ireland, had been trying to make phone contact with the Rt Rev Irfan Jamil, Bishop of Lahore, since the attacks on Sunday.

He succeeded this morning when Bishop Jamil answered his phone during the funeral service in Lahore.

Bishop Jamil held his phone up to a microphone so that those gathered could hear directly from the Archbishop. He translated as Archbishop Justin spoke to the mourners and prayed for them.

Directly after the attacks, Archbishop Justin and the Interim General Secretary of the Anglican Communion, Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan, sent condolences to Bishop Jamil and assured him of the support and prayers of the Anglican Communion.