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Sister Margo Ritchie, Congregational Leader, Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada, Linda Haydock, Congregational Leader, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
Volume 40 Issue 7, 8, & 9 | Posted: October 20, 2025
The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
May 29, 2025
Dear Prime Minister Carney:
We represent more than 30 Catholic religious orders, representing both English and French speaking Congregations, and we are writing to offer our gratitude for, and solidarity with, the Joint Statement from Canada, UK, and France on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
We support your insistence that military operations in Gaza must stop, and humanitarian aid must increase greatly. Likewise, we call on Hamas to release immediately the remaining hostages.
The extreme suffering of people in Gaza demands urgent action.
For months now, humanitarian supplies have been blocked from entering Gaza. Community kitchens are closed. Warehouses are empty. War-traumatized families, including children, are slowly starving.
UN agencies must be allowed to deliver humanitarian supplies immediately, in accordance with humanitarian principles.
Therefore, we strongly commend your promise to take further action, including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not cease its military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid. Further, we join you in opposing any attempt to expand settlements in the West Bank, and in calling on Israel to halt settlements which are illegal and undermine the viability of a Palestinian state.
The continued existence of this humanitarian crisis diminishes the humanity of us all.
We urge the government to work to increase the number of heads of state who will join you in this call for an immediate cease fire followed by negotiations to bring this violence and suffering to an end.
Sincerely,
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
Sister Margo Ritchie, Congregational Leader, Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada, Linda Haydock, Congregational Leader, Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary.
