A group of 10 Christians witnessed again today outside "the Sword
and the Cross" war memorial at St. Paul's Anglican Church on Bloor
St. E. in Toronto and invited Toronto churches to take down the
bronze sword from this stone cross as a public symbol of their
renunciation of all war. The group, including CPT's Ontario
Coordinator Doug Pritchard, prayed, sang, distributed leaflets and
engaged dozens of passersby in conversation.

City police were on hand again to "protect" the church's sword.

Today's vigil was in memory of the massacre at Damietta, Egypt on
this date in 1219. Christian Crusaders attacked the city, and of
its 80,000 inhabitants only 3,000 were left alive, of whom 100 were
not wounded. Francis of Assisi had attempted to intercede with the
Christian commander Cardinal Pelagious Galvani, and he also met
with the "enemy", Egyptian Sultan Melek-el-Kamil. The church
remembers Francis' love for the birds and Brother Sun and Sister
Moon. But why is the church silent about his powerful love for his
enemies?

A vigil was also held at this war memorial on Oct. 4, 1988 the feast day
of St. Francis. On that occasion, Rev. Don Heap, Rev. Bob Holmes
and writer Len Desroches entered the enclosure around the war
memorial. Church officials called in the city police and had the
men arrested for trespass. A member of the Toronto Scottish
Regiment, and veteran of the 1939-45 war, called Rev. Heap and said
the church should not have done that, and he sent $65 to cover the
fine levied by the court.

Rev. Heap also reported that the Global Television Network had been
unable to find war veterans who would speak out against his public
witness. One veteran told the network, "We were there. We saw what
it was like. We have to stop the wars."

The next vigil at the Sword and the Cross war memorial will be held
at noon on Dec. 2, 1998 in commemoration of Jean Donovan, one of
four women murdered by the military in El Salvador on that date in
1980.