The world watched in horror this week as a man plowed his van into dozens of pedestrians in Toronto on Monday 23 April, injuring 15 and killing 10. Since then, prayers have been pouring in from across the world, and one bishop has described what happened as a wake up call.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led the calls for prayers during a morning address at Parliament Hill the following day. He told reporters that focusing on the safety of Canadians would be his top priority as investigations continued. The social media world also focused on Toronto as Twitter users expressed great sadness for the victims and gratefulness for the brave first responders.
Toronto Cardinal Thomas Collins called on the Catholic community to offer prayers for the victims and the injured. In a statement, Collins asked for unity in bringing comfort to those affected by the tragedy: "I will be asking all 225 Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Toronto to offer special prayer intentions this week for all those who have suffered."
Willowdale Baptist Church pastor Bruce Jones led a vigil just a few steps away from the scene of the crime.
"As Joseph said at the end of Genesis [in the Bible], what you meant for evil, the Lord meant for good for the saving of many lives," Jones said. "I believe the same thing is occurring in this case, that what the evil one meant for harm, that God will turn into great good for His Kingdom. He's going to wake up people and call them back to a relationship with Himself."
Authorities arrested Alek Minassian, 25, on several counts of murder and attempted murder. Prior to the attack, police learned though his Facebook posts that Minassian praised Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in 2014. Minassian also paid tribute to the "Incel Rebellion" with its misogynistic ideology.
