One of the most senior leaders in the Church of England, the Archbishop of York is to hold a weeklong vigil inside his cathedral during which time he will abstain entirely from food. The effort is intended as a demonstration of his solidarity with the victims of the Middle East conflict.

Archbishop Dr John Sentamu made the announcement Friday that he had cancelled his holiday to Salzburg, Austria, and would instead sleep alone in the 13th century gothic cathedral of York Minster for the next week, reports Reuters.

“In the Middle East there are thousands of people sleeping in churches, bunkers, underground car parks and shelters in an attempt to escape from the bombs and rockets that are falling on both sides of the border," Sentamu said in a statement.

"This act is a rallying call to people of all faiths and none, to encourage them to feel that there is something that can be done."