In his message for World Day of Peace, Archbishop Eamon Martin said the near-complete destruction of Gaza, and the bringing of its population to the brink of famine, “is, by any standard, a disproportionate measure”.
In a plea for global peace, Dr Martin highlighted how “the horrors and brutality of war” are being inflicted across the world today from the Middle East to Ukraine, Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen and Myanmar.
“Sadly, the list is long and shameful,” he said.
Highlighting how in 2023 an estimated US$2.5 trillion was spent on armaments and military resources, he noted that the amount has since increased while the world continues to tolerate the escalation in production, supply, trade and use of weapons of war though so many other human needs need to be prioritised and resourced.
“Such expenditure cannot be reconciled with our Christian commitment to reconciliation and peace, or with the beliefs of any of the world’s major faiths and religions, or with secular principles of the common good and the flourishing of humanity,” he said.
Money earmarked for armaments, Dr Martin said, should be used to tackle hunger, famine, the impact of climate change, the scourge of addictions, and the essential health and educational needs of millions of people throughout the world.
Referring to Pope Francis’ message for World Day of Peace, he quoted the Pontiff’s plea that a “fixed percentage of the money earmarked for armaments” might be used instead for “a global fund” to eradicate hunger and facilitate “education for sustainable development and combating climate change.”
Such a commitment, the Pope said, would help “disarm hearts” so easily filled with anxiety, with the fear of war, or a desire for vengeance.
Francis also appealed for greater effort to be made to eliminate “every pretext that encourages young people to regard their future as hopeless or dominated by the thirst to avenge the blood of their dear ones.”
“The future is a gift meant to enable us to go beyond past failures and to pave new paths of peace,” he said.
Archbishop Martin hit out at the use of sophisticated and powerful weapons, especially in the midst of streets, homes, hospitals and schools, which he said makes it difficult to distinguish so-called ‘modern warfare’ from terror.
“How can tactics, which cause thousands of civilian deaths, alongside the whole scale destruction of food, water, health services and other infrastructure that is essential for survival, ever hope to restore justice and rights, resolve differences, respect human dignity, or provide a path for reconciliation and peace?” he challenged.
In relation to Gaza specifically, the Archbishop reiterated his condemnation of the “egregious 7th October 2023 terror attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Israel”, including the taking of hostages, 100 of whom are still held captive in Gaza.
However, he hit out at the “merciless and disproportionate” response by Israel which has seen over 45,000 people including 17,000 children “cut down” and two million people forcibly displaced.
“Almost the entire population of Gaza is living in extreme hunger, and despite the reality of catastrophic famine conditions for hundreds of thousands of desperate civilians, humanitarian access is effectively blocked.”
Notwithstanding the rulings of the International Court of Justice on protection from genocide, on illegal occupation of territories and on systemic discrimination, the international community has failed to prevent the escalation of conflict and to protect civilians, he criticised.
The senior church leader said he was conscious that those who have expressed similar views to his on Gaza have been accused of anti-semitism.
Stressing that he abhorred the violations by Hamas and other Islamist militant groups against the people of Israel, he said he fully supports the right of Israelis to live in peace and security.
He added, “This right has to be achieved in the context of a just peace, where the legitimate rights of Palestinians are also protected in line with international law.”
Joining with Pope Francis, Dr Martin prayed that the “sound of arms” would be silenced.
“May there be a ceasefire, may the hostages be released and aid be given to the people worn out by hunger and by war; may the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open throughout the region, devastated by conflict.”
Separately, in their New Year’s message, the leaders of the main churches in Ireland have expressed the hope that the “language of hurt and division” would be confined to the past “so that the words we use, and the actions we undertake, may be focused on love rather than hate, peace rather than war, light rather than darkness.”