Irish Bishops call for prayer and fasting for Gaza

“It appears that humanity has lost its heart” – Irish Bishops

Irish Bishops meeting in Maynooth today offered prayers for peace in the Holy Land, for Ukraine, Sudan and in other troubled parts of the world.

In particular, bishops discussed the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, stating: “From all over Ireland, parishioners are reporting their horror and helplessness on seeing images of death and communal destruction in Gaza.

"Exhausted mothers can no longer nourish their young, children are dying of malnutrition, while aid lorries full of supplies are being refused entry into the territory, or are not safely arriving at their destination.

“We in Ireland must pray for a change of heart. Throughout the month of June – the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – we call on everyone to pray for an outpouring of the compassion of God on a heartless world.

“To see the relentless bombardment of civilian areas, the deliberate withholding of food from the starving, as well as the callous holding of hostages, it appears that humanity has lost its heart.

"In the face of these horrors, we invite everyone to turn to the heart of Jesus throughout the month of June by praying for the renewal of heart that our world so desperately needs.

"We call on all Catholics to make the first Friday, June 6, a day of prayer and fasting in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who are suffering at this time in the Holy Land.

“We echo Pope Leo XIV’s recent appeal to allow into Gaza ‘the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, whose heartbreaking price is paid by the children, elderly, and the sick.’”