Toronto pilgrimage to call for Gaza war’s end

A worldwide act of solidarity with those affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict is making its way to Toronto over Mother’s Day weekend. 

The Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage is a global movement walking in prayerful solidarity with the people of Gaza, the densely settled territory at the centre of heavy fighting amidst the war. 

“Christians around the world have been deeply moved by the deaths and great suffering of the people of Gaza, as well as the suffering of the Jewish people whose loved ones were killed or taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023,” said Sr. Mary-Ellen Francoeur, a member of KAIROS Canada’s pilgrimage planning committee.  

The ecumenical justice group KAIROS Canada and its member churches have organized ceasefire pilgrimages across Canada to support a permanent cessation to the conflict and a peaceful resolution for both the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. 

The Toronto pilgrimage will follow the same theme as other international marches, with participants partaking in a non-violent 41-kilometre walk, the length of Gaza. All, regardless of faith, are invited to participate in the walk that will include moments of respectful prayer and song calling for ceasefire and just peace.

The pilgrimage will take place  May 11 and 12, the Mother’s Day weekend. It is one of several planned nationwide leading to the Canadian church leader’s pilgrimage to Parliament Hill on May 22. There, Leah Reesor-Keller the transitional executive director for KAIROS Canada will be among those calling on Parliamentarians for an enduring and sustained ceasefire, the immediate flow of life-saving humanitarian assistance and the release of all captives. 

“When the planning group realized it was Mother’s Day weekend, we thought that that was very appropriate because the original Mother’s Day that took place in the 1700s was started by a group of women pacifists speaking out against war,” Francouer said. “Now we have the chance for today’s mothers, children and even grandchildren to honour that date in unity with the people in Gaza who are suffering.” 

The walk will begin at Bloordale United Church at 8:30 a.m. on May 11 and make its way east for approximately 41 km before concluding at Bill Hancox Park next to the Rouge Hill GO Station. 

Organizers are adamant about its impartiality, with a statement on the KAIROS website saying “as a public act of Christian witness, we wish to repudiate anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and the role of settler-colonialism at home and around the world.” Francoeur said the desire for peace in totality is the initiative’s driving force, especially for Christians.

“For all of the different formulas of violence, we have seen through (this conflict), I truly believe that Jesus, our prime model in non-violence, would be saying no to all of it.” 

Francoeur harkened back to the verse of John 18: 10-11, which recounts Jesus commanding Peter to put his sword away after striking the high priest’s servant ahead of Christ’s Passion.