Travelling to Winnipeg following time in Toronto, Pillay participated in a tour of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, met with Indigenous church leaders, had an ecumenical dinner with young adults, visited the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, spoke at a panel discussion cohosted by the Manitoba Multifaith Council and shared a breakfast at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Office with church leaders and representatives. “It has been so great to be with you,” Pillay said. “We are pilgrims and continue to co-pilgrim together. If there is one message, one takeaway from the past few days, it is this: You are not alone; we are with you. Worldwide, globally, we stand together. Whatever you experience in this part of the world, we would love to journey with you and be as helpful as we can and seek your guidance as we speak into the situation from the outside. “One of the things that we never forget when we get back home are these visits,” he added. “Because the joy that I return with, knowing that churches are working together and that the Canadian Council of Churches is bringing people together – not only just on church levels, but even on interfaith levels – and are working with so many different aspects and contexts. We have really been wonderfully blessed.” This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC). For eight decades, the CCC has been gathering Canadian Christians to engage in critical dialogues, advocate for meaningful policies, and nurture a community of faith to stand together for justice and peace. CCC general secretary Rev. Peter Noteboom spoke of the working relationship between the many representatives. “This gathering is so important for all us, with these connections around the room,” he noted. “Everybody here is in some way connected to that push for the pursuit of peace and all its different manifestations over our years of work together in the past and going forward in the future.” “All of us here, when you really step back and look at it, are in different places but we are actually truly working on many of the same things,” Pillay shared. “There are different levels of emphasis, depending on the context, but this sort of visit looks at what you are doing contextually, and how can we collaborate and strengthen what we do and help make it more effective. Having such partners as you helps remind me of what we are all doing as a part of this pilgrimage experience. “With it being the 80th anniversary of the Canadian Council of Churches, you folks made it very special in asking the WCC to be part of that,” Pillay added. “It's been a real special honour and joy. These days have gone pretty fast in Toronto and in Winnipeg, but it has been some wonderfully engaging days.” Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, WCC president from North America, shared her delight in the ongoing work within the region, as highlighted by four areas of focus. “In terms of our priorities in this moment, there are four top issues in North America,” Walker-Smith said. “One of them is racism. The second is climate and climate justice. A third one is walking alongside our Indigenous peoples. And the fourth is wealth, inequities, and poverty. This is a perfect time to be a part of this big, ecumenical family, and I truly appreciate the conversations made that will come alongside some of these issues.” Photo gallery WCC general secretary commemorates 80th anniversary of the Canadian Council of Churches (WCC news release, 6 December 2024) Join a conversation on unity, justice, and peace in Canada (WCC news release, 4 December 2024) WCC general secretary will visit Canadian Council of Churches to strengthen ties (WCC news release, 29 November 2024) | 
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