The Irish Bishops statement on the humanitarian disaster in Gaza – ‘Words are not enough!’

“Gaza people are starving and adequate aid is being denied; it seems clear that famine is being used as a weapon of war. Already over 600,000 Palestinians have been displaced … What is happening in Gaza – and the West Bank – is the death of tens of thousands of non-combatants, many of them women and children. This is unconscionable. It is immoral for world leaders to stand by inactively in the face of this outrageous tragedy for humanity … Words are not enough! There is an urgent need for the international community to intervene

“People in parishes across the country are horrified by what they are witnessing. They may feel helpless. But they can show their solidarity in different ways by lobbying their political representatives, by supporting humanitarian aid and, above all, by continuing to pray for an end to the conflict now and the resumption of peace, including the return of all hostages and prisoners.”

Pope Leo XIV – “In the Gaza Strip, the cry of mothers, of fathers who clutch the lifeless bodies of children and who are continually forced to move in search of a little food and safer shelter from bombing, rises ever more intensely to the sky. I renew my appeal to the leaders: cease-fire, release all hostages, fully respect humanitarian law. Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us.’ (General Audience, 28 May 2025).