24 across
Tedious
speech,
a
statement
of
belief
by
saint
(6)
Tedious speech, a statement of belief by saint (6)
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The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
The definition is Tedious speech — a screed being that long, dreary monologue nobody asked for. For the wordplay, take a statement of belief, which gives you CREED, then stick S (the standard abbreviation for saint) in front of it, and there's your answer.