On July 11, an interfaith vigil in solidarity with Palestine was held in São Paulo, Brazil, as part of the Latin American Course on Ecumenism and Interfaith Dialogue 2025, coordinated by CESEEP. The gathering took place in the context of escalating violence and the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, as well as other communities oppressed by imperialist systems around the world.
The vigil was organized by Angelica Tostes (CESEEP), member of the Steering Group of the Transformative Ecumenism Movement, together with fellow ecumenical leaders Giovanni do Carmo (Anchietanum) and Vinicius Fabreau (SEFRAS). The event was a spiritual and prophetic act, bringing together people from different faiths to affirm that peace is only possible with justice and liberation.
The vigil created a sacred space for prayer, meditation, song, light, and presence. It was a moment where traditions met — not to dilute their particularities, but to strengthen a shared cry for life. Participants prayed, chanted, and meditated together, holding in their hearts the suffering of the Palestinian people and the dream of a world without violence. Among the participating organizations and communities were: CESEEP (Ecumenical Center for Service to Evangelization and Popular Education); SEFRAS (Franciscan Solidarity Service); Center Magis Anchietanum (Jesuit Youth Center); Koinonia – Ecumenical Presence and Service; Therigatha Urban Zen Monastery; The Hare Krishna Movement; Muslim and Jewish representatives; Practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions (such as Candomblé and Umbanda); Indigenous spiritual leaders and community members.
The moment was deeply inspired by a poem-prayer by Dom Pedro Casaldáliga, which was read aloud during the vigil. His words echoed through the circle as a call to action:
“Give us, Lord, that restless Peace
that denounces the peace of cemeteries
and the well-fed peace of the rich.
Give us the Peace that struggles for Peace!
The Peace that unsettles
with the urgency of the Kingdom.
The Peace that invades us
with the wind of the Spirit,
breaking routines and fears.
The Peace of disarmed weapons
and defeated war.
The Peace of bread for the hunger of justice,
of freedom hard-won,
of solidarity beyond borders.
Give us Your Peace,
that marginal Peace born in Bethlehem,
crucified in Jerusalem,
and risen in every act of love.”
Through music, chants, candles, silence, and presence, the vigil proclaimed: Shalom. Salam. Axé. Shanti. Peace. Free Palestine.
This collective action reflected the heart of transformative ecumenism – faith communities walking side by side with the oppressed, dismantling structures of violence, and creating spaces of radical love and resistance. We continue steadfast in the conviction that inter-religious dialogue and commitment to human rights are seeds of a more just world. May this vigil inspire us to keep alive the flame of active solidarity and the kind of faith that becomes struggle: From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free.
The Transformative Ecumenism Movement is rooted in the lived realities of people and communities. It embraces a people-based, interfaith approach, grounded in the struggles of the marginalized and in the deep wisdom of diverse spiritual traditions. More than an institutional project, it is a movement of encounter, solidarity, and co-resistance — where faith becomes action and dialogue becomes liberation.
