On the second day of the Spring General Meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, bishops called for an urgent and complete ceasefire in Gaza, and an immediate end to the daily horror of killing, wounding, and destruction of property in the Holy Land.
The bishops of Ireland, speaking on 5 March from Columba Centre in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, echoed “Pope Francis’ heartfelt appeal for a complete ceasefire in Gaza – ‘Enough, please! Let us all say it: enough … Stop!’ Stop the War!”
Bishops continued, “in saying this, we join with many in our parishes, together with all people of goodwill, in demanding an immediate end to the daily horror of killing, wounding and destruction of property and infrastructure there.
“We call on the Israeli government to comply with basic human and international standards in ensuring that Palestinians have full and unimpeded access to food, water and basic safety requirements. At the same time, we call on Hamas to release all hostages and to end missile attacks on Israel. Equally, the attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, which do not command as much attention in the public sphere, are also to be condemned. What is happening in this region cannot be morally justified.
“The current aggression is not a war between Jews and Arabs; people of all faiths, including many of the Jewish tradition, oppose what is happening and the effect it is having not only on Israel and Palestine but throughout the wider Middle East and further afield.
“The only future is one of dialogue and the putting in place of a sustainable plan for a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis.”
To read the bishops’ statement please click here
ENDS
