THE President of Ireland has remembered people facing the horrors of war across the globe in his Christmas message for 2023.
President Michael D Higgins released his annual festive statement this week, in which he wished the people of Ireland around the world a “peaceful and Happy Christmas and New Year”.
“This Christmas, we are conscious that across the world there are many people facing the most horrific of circumstances of war and displacement,” he said.
“We think in particular of all of the children in Gaza and Israel, places known to many as a Holy Land, and that has been darkened by the taking of so many lives, and too many young lives in particular, in recent months.”
He added: “All of our hearts are made heavy by these terrible losses.”
The President and wife Sabina recently hosted an event at Áras an Uachtaráin marking the official switching on of their Christmas lightsThe President also paid tribute to those families affected by historic losses closer to home.
Recalling that 2023 marked the 25-year anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, President Higgins said: “So many families across our own island too will still be feeling the loss of family members to conflict, as this year we marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
“We Irish are all too aware of the horrors that can be committed, including due to the distortion and abuse of religious difference, when violence is allowed to quench the desire for a shared peace,” he added.
“However, history tells us, and we are conscious of it, that peace can be built, however fragile and cautious those first initial steps must be.”
The President further urged the Irish community to reflect on the darker issues that prevail in the world at present, including the war in Ukraine.
“As we gather this Christmas, let us reflect on the challenges that cast a dark shadow over our world, including the war in Ukraine that continues to drain lives and livelihoods,” he said.
The President hosted families at an event at Áras an Uachtaráin marking the official switching on of their Christmas lights“The loss of life in each conflict is a stark reminder of the price paid for a lost shared space of diplomacy, of the abuse of power, of the importance that must be attached to the strengthening of the ideals of peace,” he added.
“At this time of multiple, complex global challenges, it has perhaps never been such an important shared task.”
He went on to call for the global Irish community to “resolve to forge together a renewed sense of extended solidarity, one that is shaped to fit and encompass all the citizens on our vulnerable planet”.
“Christmas is a time of hope,” President Higgins added.
“At this time, in the deepest darkness of winter, we anticipate and celebrate the triumph of light over dark, of dreams still realizable over the setbacks of the past.
“Let us strive to make a meaningful difference and lay the foundations for a shared and brighter future where justice, compassion, and sustainability prevail.
“May I wish all the Irish at home and abroad, and those who live and work with them, a very happy and peaceful Christmas and a New Year full of promise, health and fulfilment.”
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