WCC Reference Group begins Vancouver meeting with renewed focus on Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Reference Group for the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity (PJRU) began its in-person meeting on 17 September at the Vancouver School of Theology (VST), bringing together WCC representatives, church leaders and local ecumenical partners to reflect on the pilgrimage and its role in the life of the ecumenical movement.



Participants of the Vancouver meeting gathered for a photo to express solidarity with the WCC's Thursdays in Black campaign for a world against rape and violence. Photo:
Marcelo Schneider/WCC

18 September 2026
Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity

The meeting opened with prayer and an acknowledgement of the traditional territories and Indigenous peoples, followed by welcomes from Rev. Janet Anstead, general secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches, and Rev. Prof. Dr Richard Topping, VST president and vice-chancellor.

WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay presented his vision for a WCC-wide PJRU framework, exploring how the pilgrimage can deepen its impact across WCC programmes, commissions, regional partners and member churches.

“The pilgrimage provides an integrating framework for all objectives that we have set aside for ourselves as the council”, said Pillay. “The key question that we have to ask ourselves at all times is how our work is contributing to justice, reconciliation, and unity.”

“WCC is one fellowship with many pilgrimages. We count on the engagement and support of this Reference Group to integrate the work of the fellowship into a Pilgrimage functionality”, added Pillay.

Rev. Karin van den Broeke, co-moderator of the WCC Pilgrimage Reference Group, expressed her thankfulness for the warm companionship. “It is impressive to hear how theology in the Vancouver School of Theology is informed and transformed by walking with indigenous people, and how walking together is transforming injustices done to indigenous peoples. And this 'walking together' is exactly what the pilgrimage is about”, she added.

The day concluded with a pilgrimage encounter at VST, during which participants learned about the context and legacy of the historic WCC 6th Assembly, held in Vancouver in 1983, and received an overview of Vancouver’s ecumenical landscape and theological education.

The meeting of the Reference Group continues until 22 September, with an agenda that integrates moments of close engagement with local processes of truth and reconciliation, alongside further work on the theological and methodological foundations of the PJRU.

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Occupy the Vatican Serves Eviction Notice Against Child Raping Church, As Canadian Media Distorts the Event

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Native people assaulted by Catholics as Vancouver cops stand by and watch:

Occupy the Vatican serves Eviction Notice against child raping church, as Canadian media distorts the event

Vancouver, Squamish sovereign territory
October 31, 2011:

Two dozen men and women from Occupy Vancouver and the Occupy the Vatican movement, most of them aboriginal, faced assaults and a human blockade from members of the Catholic Knights of Columbus yesterday outside Holy Rosary Cathedral, while trying to peacefully occupy it and enforce a legal eviction order against the Roman Catholic church for its murder of thousands of residentialschool children.

“I kept yelling to the police to help us but they just stood there at the church entrance and did nothing, even when the Knights of Columbus were shoving one man and making him fall right off the church steps” described a female member of Occupy Vancouver.

“It’s like the cops were being private security for the church, and the Knights of Columbus were acting like police”.

The planned occupation was called last week to bring attention to the Catholic church’s illegal occupation of Squamish land, and their genocide of native children.

On Saturday, the action was temporarily postponed after two undercover operatives were exposed as attempting to incite violence at the church.

Nevertheless, a group of native elders went to the church later and read the eviction notice to the police and catholics barring the church entrance.

Aboriginal woman and member of Occupy Vancouver declares Chief Kiapilano’s March, 2008 Banning and Eviction order against the Catholic church

The Vancouver media distorted the Sunday action to make it seem that Occupy Vancouver disavowed the action, which is not true.

No media reported the exposure of the undercover operatives or the fact that over a hundred Occupy Vancouver members have merely postponed their protest to next Sunday.

One of the protest organizers and a legal agent for Squamish elder Kiapilano, Kevin Annett (Eagle Strong Voice), commented today,

“There’s a mayoral election on in Vancouver these days, and every politician is trying to win votes by calling for the Occupy camp to be shut down.

What better scare tactic to inflame the citizenry than claiming that a bunch of wild Indians from the camp are storming a church?” commented Kevin Annett today.

Annett has been authorized by Kiapilano to enforce his 2008 Eviction Order against the Catholic church in Vancouver.

“The occupation of these churches will continue, peacefully, and with increasing support from many people. The eyes of the world or on us. We will return next Sunday” announced Annett.

Occupy the Vatican groups across Canada and the world have declared their plans to take over Catholic churches in their communities.

A Press Statement and Ultimatum addressed to the Pope and the Vancouver Catholic Archdiocese will be issued later today.

Information: 250-591-4573

Issued by Occupy the Vatican (Vancouver) and The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (Brussels office) 12:00 pm PST 31 October 2011

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