President Michael D Higgins has raised the suffering of people living through homelessness, war and displacement in his Christmas message, saying it is “a difficult and emotional time of the year” for many.
In what is his final Christmas message, as his second term of office is to end next November, Mr Higgins said many families would be welcoming home of members of the Irish community who are based abroad.
“But there are those, of course, who for different reasons are unable to travel home, but whose connection with family and friends remains so strong,” he said.
[ Homeless figures reach a new high of almost 15,000Opens in new window ]
“In the same spirit, I think of all those who have moved to live with us and make a new home in Ireland, our new citizens and those who have sought asylum here – those seeking refuge, those searching for a life free from fear and persecution, or who, like so many of our Irish over the generations, simply wish for a better life”.
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Ireland, he said, should be grateful to those working in hospitals and emergency services, and those attending to the needs of the homeless, vulnerable and marginalised.
Silence was not morally acceptable, he said, in the face of “multiple, interlocking crises across our world”.
“Now is the time for all of us, for all peoples to speak and urge countries of the world who wish to see a world of peace, a sustainable and more equal world built on the Sustainable Development Goals, to come together, speak out and force the measures that will make these vital goals a global achievement”.
Mr Higgins highlighted the attacks by Hamas on October 7th, 2023; the suffering of the people of Gaza, where 45,000 people, including 17,000 children, have been killed; the people of Ukraine, who have now endured more than 1,000 days of war; and the acute hunger facing 25 million people in Sudan.
He paid special tribute to members of the Irish Defence Forces who will be overseas this Christmas, in particular those in Lebanon, whose contribution to peace-building was “an example of Irishness and its values at its best”.
Reflecting on his final Christmas in office, he repeated his words from his first address, saying: “We are a country of which there is much to be proud; whose possibilities are still to be fully imagined and realised; and whose people I am honoured to serve”.
He added: “As we celebrate this Christmas season, wherever we may be and in whatever circumstances, may it be a time for kindness, understanding, a time of care and appreciation for one another.”
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