June 9th

Ecumenical Event Responds to Call from Palestinian Christians

On November 14, 2025, the Palestinian Christian Ecumenical Initiative issued its second Kairos document, entitled “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide.” It is a powerful and poignant call—though also a controversial one—from some of our Palestinian siblings in Christ.

A recent conference in Winnipeg, held May 14-16 and called “Palestine, Settler Colonialism, and an Ecumenical Call to Action,” brought together 120 people from across several denominations to engage with this Kairos II call. Held at Canadian Mennonite University, the event was sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and others—including MCC Manitoba and Mennonite Church Manitoba’s Palestine-Israel Network.

“The gathering of ecumenical communities across Canada including those from the inter-faith community to bear witness and to learn, network and inspire one another to persevere in taking action for Palestinian justice and liberation was significant,” says MCM PIN chair Joanna Hiebert Bergen (Fort Garry) (above photo, far left).

Among those who attended were people from several MCM congregations, including River East, Aberdeen, Hope, Home Street, Fort Garry, Emmanuel, Springstein, and Bethel. They heard from a cross-section of plenary speakers: brothers John and Samuel Munayer, Palestinian theologians living in Jerusalem; Sarojini Nadar, a theologian from South Africa shaped by that country’s experience of apartheid; and Carmen Lansdowne, a theologian who recently served as the United Church of Canada’s first Indigenous moderator.

There were also panel discussions around the Kairos II document involving Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Indigenous panel members. Workshops rounded out the schedule, exploring such topics as effective advocacy to government, the use of direct action and other forms of public witness, the role of Jewish allies in supporting the Palestinian cause, and the similarities between settler colonialism in Canada and the experience of Palestinians.

The conference generated some controversy, especially early in its promotion, primarily because of Kairos II’s call for fellow Christians around the world to recognize the policies and actions of Israel toward Palestinians in Palestine as genocide. However, the conference itself was peaceful, even as it echoed with calls to pursue justice and peace through effective nonviolent action.

“The significance of this conference for me was the centering of Palestinian and Indigenous voices, our kin whose lives are shaped by settler colonialism past and present,” says Joanna. “Their wisdom, theological depth, lived experience, artistic expression, and welcome shaped our time together, allowing for lament and soul-searching to fuse with a renewed sense of urgency, persistence, and commitment to risky advocacy, bearing witness and fearlessly speaking truth to power.”

As people of peace in the way of Jesus, let’s pray for a just peace for Palestine, and let’s do what we can to see a lasting peace come about in the Middle East. If you’d like to give financially to support the work of the MCM PIN, or any of our working groups, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving.