Press Releases12 Jan 09

Address at Belfast Rally for Peace in Gaza

Delivered by The Ven Barry Dodds:

The march and rally today, organised by the Irish Congress of Trades Unions, is aimed at the promotion of a lasting and peaceful outcome to the ongoing issues in and around Gaza. As well as drawing the attention of us all to the huge humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding.

The churches have been able to make some practical response this week. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem under its bishop, the Rt Revd Suheil Dawani runs the Al Ahli Hospital in the heart of Gaza City. The Church of Ireland through its Bishops’ Appeal, World Aid Programme has made €25,000 available to Bishop Dawani for essential frontline medical and emergency humanitarian services at the hospital. Churches and Dioceses including the cross-border Diocese of Clogher are organising specific times of prayer and special collections on behalf of the bereaved and sick and injured.

Church people must be people of hope. We have good cause to be so, because of Jesus Christ. But also because we have witnessed in Northern Ireland after decades of violence the beginnings of a transition to peace, security and prosperity.

The publicity flyer for this rally stated ‘each rocket and tank shell blows the hopes of a just and peaceful settlement further away’ and again ‘violence does not solve any political impasse.’ I would echo the words of our own Primate, Archbishop Alan Harper, and Cardinal Sean Brady whose joint statement of 30 December called for all hostilities to cease as a first step to enable aid agencies to do their work and permanent ceasefires to be negotiated.

We shall continue to pray for the people of this region, Palestinian and Israeli, whose future hope must surely lie in two peoples living side by side in peace, security and prosperity.