Thursday 03 December 2015 at 23:04

They Made It

by Tessa Tennant,

They've done it! Not even the Paris police ​could stop our pilgrims.

All public gatherings in ​the city have been banned so our brave pilgrims had to walk the final day alone. One by one they walked into the c​enter, their solitude a sharp contrast to the​ group's​ laughter and community these ​past days and weeks.

​But nothing was going to stop them ​completing their 1500km walk from Rome to Paris.

Share this image to thank them and help celebrate their ​achievement​!

​T​hey arrived to the warmest of welcomes at​ the aptly named​ Eglise Saint Merry​.​ ​From all corners of Europe​ they came, ​from the UK, Italy​, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany. ​And some came from further afield, from Hong Kong,​ Africa,​ the Philippines​, Vietnam​​ and the US​A.​ ​ ​Stories and songs were shared, and memories of the generosity of host communities. It was a gathering to make you proud of the human family!

The pilgrimages carry a simple message - ​walk over talk. ​The time for words has passed, we demand real action against the climate crisis. The spirit of the pilgrimages, their love ​of ​community and joy in working together across faiths and nationalities ​shows what we can be.

A better world is possible.

This song kept them walking when times got hard And here at the end as they reached their destination it gave expression to their joy, their love and their hope.

Header Image: Sean Hawkeye/World Council of Churches