New Developments in Israel-Palestine and the Role of the Churches

Linda Nicholls 
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

Linda Nicholls was installed as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada on July 16, 2019. Previously she served the Church as Bishop of Huron (2016-2019), Area Bishop of Trent-Durham, Diocese of Toronto (2008-2016), Coordinator for Dialogue for Ethics, Interfaith Relations and Congregational Development at the national office, and almost twenty years as a parish priest in the Diocese of Toronto. In addition to her commitment to healthy vibrant parish communities, Archbishop Nicholls has engaged in the renewal of the healing ministry in congregational life; ethics in healthcare; spiritual direction; national theological commissions and ecumenical dialogue. She has served as the Co-Chair of the Anglican Roman Catholic Dialogue in Canada and is a member of the third Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III).

Susan Johnson
National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

In June 2007, the National Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) elected Rev. Susan C. Johnson to serve as the first female National Bishop of the ELCIC. Delegates to the 2015 National Convention affirmed her leadership and reelected Bishop Johnson to a third four-year term as National Bishop. Bishop Johnson is active in the international Lutheran community. She is committed to the work of ecumenism, full communion, reconciliation, and passionate about engaging the church in a call to spiritual discipleship. She has led the church to speak out in several areas of justice and is actively involved in the work of KAIROS.

Carmen Lansdowne
Moderator of the United Church of Canada

Born in Alert Bay, BC, and a member of the Heiltsuk First Nation, Moderator Lansdowne attended the Vancouver School of Theology (VST) and was ordained into The United Church of Canada in 2007. She served Marengo Pastoral Charge (Alsask and Loverna, SK), and then went on to complete a PhD from Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. She continues to maintain academic interests through guest lectures and various writing projects and as a Christ Institute Fellow with the Westar Institute. In addition to her theological contributions as a writer and speaker, she has served the church in a variety of roles locally, nationally, and with the World Council of Churches. 

Dorcas Gordon
Principal Emerita of Knox College, Presbyterian Church in Canada

The Rev. Dr. J. Dorcas Gordon served as Knox College Principal from 1999-2017. Her academic background includes a B.A. degree in history from the University of Toronto and three degrees in theology (M.Div., Th.M., and Th.D.) from Knox College. In addition to her congregational ministry, she has served as Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at the Toronto School of Theology and taught both in that context and at Knox College.

Carl Hétu
Executive Director of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada

From 1990 to 2004, Carl Hétu worked at Development and Peace as an animator serving various regions in Ontario. In that role, he recruited, trained, coordinated, mobilized and inspired diocesan members and cultivated relationships with clergy across the province. Since 2004, he has been the Canadian director of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), which supports Catholic charities in the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and India. In January 2022, Carl was appointed as the Executive Director of Development and Peace. Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. It works in partnership with local organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East to create greater justice in the world and to act in solidarity with the most vulnerable people.

Jonathan Kuttab
Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America

Jonathan Kuttab is a co-founder of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq and co-founder of Nonviolence International. A well-known international human rights attorney, Jonathan practices in the US, Palestine and Israel. He serves on the Board of Bethlehem Bible College and is President of the Board of Holy Land Trust. Jonathan was the head of the Legal Committee negotiating the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO. After graduating with his Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Virginia Law School, and practicing a couple years on Wall Street, Jonathan returned home to Palestine. Jonathan was visiting scholar at Osgoode Law School at York University in Toronto in the Fall of 2017 and is a founding director of Just Peace Advocates—Mouvement pour une Paix Juste, a Canadian based international law human rights not-for-profit organization. Jonathan is currently the executive director of Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA).

Michaël Séguin
Assistant Professor at the Providence School of Transformative Leadership and Spirituality at Saint Paul University

Dr. Séguin holds a doctorate degree in Sociology from the Université de Montréal and specializes in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in organizations. His doctoral research analyzed the cognitive dimension of Israeli settler colonialism and the representation of the Palestinians it fosters. His current research focuses on inclusive leadership, diversity training and allyship in the third sector, especially in community-based organizations.

Jane Thirikwa

Global Partnerships Coordinator for KAIROS Canada

Jane Thirikwa is originally from Kenya and is passionate about work that supports social justice, equality, non-discrimination, and respect for human rights. She has worked within Kenya’s civil society, in the U.S.A., and Canada coordinating and fundraising for human rights and advocacy programs, as well as facilitating partnerships with a wide social justice stakeholder movement. She is currently the Global Partnerships Coordinator for KAIROS Canada. KAIROS unites Canadian churches and religious organizations in a faithful ecumenical response to the call to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Informed by biblical teaching, KAIROS deliberates on issues of common concern, striving to be a prophetic voice in the public sphere.

Michel Andraos (Panel Moderator)
Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Saint Paul University

Dr. Andraos’ main areas of research include intercultural theology, theologies of inter-religious dialogue, and religion and culture. The primary focus of his current research is reconciliation of the church with the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and dialogue with Indigenous spiritualities, with a particular emphasis on the Canadian context. Another area of his academic interests is the contemporary developments among the Christian communities of the Middle East.