SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Christians from a Lackawanna County college made a global movement Sunday, walking in prayer and solidarity for those in Gaza.
The walk is part of a worldwide Ceasefire Pilgrimage.
Dozens earlier Sunday walked through the Electric City chanting and waving flags, raising awareness and promoting peace in the Middle East.
"People today were really interested in expressing their solidarity for the people of Gaza," said University Of Scranton Professor Of Theology Will Cohen.
People hit the pavement Sunday afternoon calling for a cease-fire every step of the way.
The event was organized by the Christians for the Common Good, a reading and discussion group affiliated with the University of Scranton's Peace and Justice Studies Program.
The group is part of a global effort working with several different Christian organizations and multiple religious and cultural backgrounds.
"We had people coming from all different backgrounds. we had we shared Jewish Christian and Muslim prayers," said Julie Schumacher Cohen, Assistant Vice President of Community Engagement & Government Affairs at the University of Scranton.
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In a span of a couple of days, members of the group walked a total of 25 miles, hitting their goal Sunday afternoon while representing the area of conflict in the Middle East.
"The idea's to walk accumulative amount of 25 miles, or the length of the Gaza Strip," Cohen explained.
The Message was clear: A cease-fire and more humanitarian aid in the Middle East.
"When people come together, they can make a difference, and it felt really good for people to be together from all different backgrounds because they all believe that it's just not something we can continue to let happen where women and children and all kinds of innocent people are dying every day. We walked up through west side and back down around downtown Scranton and now there's gonna be a concluding catholic mass," Schumacher Cohen added.
The walk concluded here at the Chapel of Sacred Heart, at the University of Scranton, and it was followed by a service at 4:30 p.m.
