Deputy Principal

A Voice for the Voiceless

In Pope Leo XIV’s first address he said, ‘Peace be with you.’ He talked about building bridges, by talking to each other and fostering unity and peace. In his Angelus address last Sunday, he talked about the escalation of war in the Middle East between Iran and Israel, just hours after the US bombing of nuclear sites. He said “In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population—especially in Gaza and other territories—risks being forgotten, even as the need for adequate humanitarian aid becomes ever more urgent. Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace.”

Now more than ever we need people of faith like Pope Leo XIV to be a voice for the voiceless. I am certainly not going to get into the politics of the Middle East. What I will say is that we must continue to speak for those innocent civilians in Palestine, Israel and Iran whose governments have taken them into war. I have written before that through the grace of God, our children have been born in a country that is democratic and where people can live their lives without the threat of war. 

Let’s not forget the people of Ukraine, who since 2022, have been in a war that was not of their choosing with Russia. While war in the Middle East may be the topic of the current news cycle, the people in Ukraine have been suffering for years under the threat of daily attacks from Russia, through no fault of their own. We cannot forget these people. As Christian people we must continue to speak out against these wars and ensure that the hundreds of thousands of innocent bystanders have their voice heard. 

Let us heed the words of Pope Leo XIV who finished his address by saying, “Let diplomacy silence the weapons. Let nations shape their future with works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflicts’.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal