Taking Action Is Our Only Hope
Blog by Dr. Toni Pyke
In January last year, I visited Angola with Fr Edward Flynn CSSp and midwife Eirene Carson, to explore and experience some of the realities on the ground for the many women and girls who are living with the debilitating childbirth injury, obstetric fistula. Our visit was facilitated through the local organisation Votoka, meaning ‘rise up’ in Umbundu, one of the local languages of Angola. Since this visit, a coalition of organisations based in Ireland and Geneva established and launched the SafeBirth4All campaign and hosted its first conference aimed at taking action in ultimately preventing the traumatic reality of the experience of obstetric fistula for women and girls across the world. This collaborative effort facilitates hope in raising wider awareness of the suffering of the women and girls and enables a shared effort in bringing about positive change.
Recently, I was talking with one of the members at Votoka’s team who is based in Angola, asking her about the violence that had erupted initially on the streets of the capital, Luanda. In case you missed it – and given the scarcity of the media coverage it’s not unlikely – on Monday 28th July, protests broke out in response to the government’s decision earlier in the month to increase the price of diesel by a whopping 30 percent. This in turn led to increases in fares to passengers for minibus taxis, which are a critical method of transport for most Angolans. The protests led to looting, vandalism and clashes with police. Reports claimed that 22 had been killed, 197 people injured and that there were 1,214 arrests.
Neglected Headlines
Angola isn’t the only neglected headline. The situation in Haiti, which has been simmering for some time, came to global prominence this week with the kidnapping of Irish lay missionary Gena Herity along with 7 others, including a child from a local orphanage. There are some 1.4 million people internally displaced within Haiti with gangs said to control 90 percent of the capital city and increasingly extending into the jungles of the interior. The UN reports that half the population of Haiti need humanitarian assistance, increasing from 2.6 million people in 2024 to six million people. Haiti is now in the top five countries at risk of famine.
Recently, Chairperson of AMRI, Fr Joe McGee visited South Sudan, another country overwhelmed by conflict, food insecurity, public health challenges and climatic shocks. Nearly two-thirds of the population face severe food insecurity. This is worsened by heavy rainfalls, heighted political tension and escalating violence since the beginning of 2025. South Sudan ranks 193 in the UNDP Human Development Report, which means that the country has the lowest Human Development Index among all the countries listed. In parts of neighbouring Sudan, the humanitarian crisis deepens as schools, health centres and civilians are targeted in the fighting that continues to escalate. UNICEF reports on the challenges of trying to get critical supplies into conflict areas amid the violence, compounding the humanitarian crisis. Oh, and remember the invasion of Russia into Ukraine – that’s also still active. The Global Conflict Tracker reports that the fighting and air strikes have caused over 40,000 civilian casualties, 3.7 million people internally displaced and 6.9 million that have fled Ukraine. Some 12.7 million people are said to need humanitarian assistance. These are just four of the many more conflicts, wars and humanitarian disasters around the world that threaten global instability, deny basic human rights and dignity, swell death toll statistics, shatter hopes for a future and perpetuate the ‘cries of the earth’.
Chipping away at our humanity
The barbaric siege of Palestine, now more widely acknowledged as a genocide of the Palestinian people, is unrelenting. International affairs expert Emeritus Professor Paul Rogers from the University of Bradford states that the Israeli bombing of Gaza is “equivalent to six Hiroshimas.” In an interview with journalist Owen Jones, he explains how he reaches this conclusion: “Back in the Cold War days, we used to say a kilotonne is equivalent to a thousand tonnes of TNT. We are now using explosives that are much more powerful than TNT. But if we do use that figure – 70 kilotonnes of weapons dropped across Gaza – Hiroshima was about 12 kilotonnes, so we are talking about the equivalent of six Hiroshimas…” This reality is breathtaking, particularly at a time where we are commemorating 80 years since the devastation of Hiroshima. Most of Gaza’s infrastructure has been decimated. All the while, the bombing continues. The Israeli militarised zones and displacement directives have forced the remaining population of Gaza into just 12.7 percent of the strip, most of whom are living in makeshift tents. The destruction of the medical and sanitation infrastructure, restricted food supplies and inhabitable living conditions has resulted in thousands of deaths alongside those directly resulting from bullets or bombs. And then of course there are the life-long injuries for those not killed by bullets, bombs or famine, not to mention the rapid spread of infectious diseases and mental health challenges. The WHO reports that more than 15,000 people have suffered limb injuries, with more than 2,000 people sustaining spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza report that more than 4,700 people have undergone limb amputations, including over 940 children and 370 women – and these statistics are now 7 months out of date.
Added to this are the long-term impacts on biodiversity, loss of animal and natural life, water and soil contamination, toxic dust, waste pollution, the impact of the destruction of waste management systems, to name just a few. The UN FAO report that some 95 percent of the cattle had been slaughtered or died since the bombing began and nearly half of all the sheep. A UN damage assessment released in January this year finds that clearing the over 50 million tonnes of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion. This is not taking into consideration the time it will take to remove the estimated 10,000 bodies that may still be missing under the debris. The exact toll of all of this will only be assessed once the bombs, drones, bulldozers, bullets and tanks have gone silent, the violence has ended and peace is recognised in Gaza and the West Bank.
Hope Amidst the Darkness
During my call with the Votoka representative in Angola, she noted that the young people of Angola are in a state of ‘hopelessness,’ unable to envision a future for themselves in an increasingly costly and hostile world. On the surface, it does seem hopeless. Yet, if you seek the good, you will find it and you will recognise the cracks in the darkness that enable the light to shine through. The increasing number of people who regularly march across the world demanding peace in Palestine, alongside more countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Turkey, other middle eastern countries and countries in Africa who are all demanding the Israel stop its siege and allow the necessary humanitarian aid into Gaza. There are also increasing numbers of people at protests in Israel. This does not stop those focused on peace and the preservation of international legal mechanisms designed to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide. In recent months, taking to the streets in some Western countries to remind politicians that there are international mechanisms designed to prevent genocide and that it is their responsibility to enforce, has become a crime. And no one is immune. In the UK 83 year old retired pastor Reverend Sue Parfitt was arrested, as was an older blind man in a wheelchair and many more. But we must make our voices heard and we must amplify the voices of those living in Gaza, whose cries for mercy are not being listened to.
Called To Be Light Bearers
Pope Francis reminded us that as Christians, we are to be light bearers. In various conflict and other locations of instability for many decades, missionaries have continued to carry this light among the darkness, present among the communities they serve, in solidarity and hope. In Rumbek, South Sudan for example, Loreto Sister Orla Treacy facilitates an empowering environment for girls to access and continue their education for a hopeful future, in a context where women are girls are subordinate in their society. Also in South Sudan, Holy Faith Sr Jacinta Prunty provides critical teacher training to empower future educators. In Nigeria, the Medical Missionaries of Mary continue to provide life-saving maternal care and training for in-country medical staff in an increasingly challenging security context. In Geneva, Spiritan Fr Edward Flynn lobbies the United Nations to ensure rights and dignity for the women and girls across the world living with Obstetric Fistula. Sr Bridget Tighe fmdm continues to respond to the needs of the Palestinian people, empowering livelihood strategies for small local enterprises to survive during the tourist downturn in Jerusalem. The Cluny sisters remain in Haiti, despite the violence. The Dominican Sisters for Justice continue to attend marches, demonstrations and protests to ensure that their voices are included amongst the Irish petitions for peace, justice and hope. Columban Fr Shay Cullen, founder of Preda Foundation (People’s Recovery, Empowerment and Development Assistance), continues to advocate for the rights of children in the Philippines at risk of abuse and exploitation. Kiltegan priest Kevin O’Hara, spent many years opposing global corporate giant Shell and other oil corporates in Nigeria for the devastation and abuses to local communities and their environment. And there are many more examples like these across the globe.
The folk singer and activist Joan Baez is quoted as saying: “Action is the antidote to despair. You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live.” This is echoed in the recent publication of the Irish Catholic where Fr Billy Swan outlines that “as a Church we must show leadership”. He says that ‘despite the risks’ as Christians, we cannot be paralysed by criticism or fear that can prevent us from taking action, “our faith demands…to help humanity out of this black hole of despair and towards hope and lasting peace.” How do we do this and how do we show leadership? According to Fr Swan, we need to “have a feel for the horrendous suffering of the people involved”. There has been much talk across social media of the ‘dehumanisation’ of the Palestinian people. The propaganda that is spread across Israeli and other international media demonstrates how some in society do not view the people of Palestine as equal human beings. This contorted view lacks the compassion necessary to understand that God created all of us in His own image (Gen 1:27). We must open our eyes and hearts and feel the desperation of a mother who cannot produce the milk necessary to feed her newborn baby, because she too is starving. The father who must listen to the suffering of his starving children and make the extreme decision whether to stay with them to shelter them from the bombing or risk death seeking food. The medics who must hear the screams of pain from young children as they carry out life-saving surgery without anaesthetic or pain relief. These are not just stories, these are on-the-ground daily realities, happening as I write, to the children, women and men in Gaza, and increasingly in the West Bank. There is no space in the narrative or the experience that can condone such merciless action. Compassion and the Christian response is evident in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The starving people of Gaza are the man lying on the side of the road and we, as Christians must respond as the Samaritan did, in solidarity with them. Christians across the planet – all 1.4 billion of us – must unite in demanding an end to genocide and the wider global injustices that continue to chip away our humanity.
What You Can Do Today
Join together in prayer and fasting: Archbishop Eamon Martin recently invited the Christian community to join together for 24 hours of prayer and reflection on Sunday, 24th August “for Gaza and for a renewed commitment by the international community for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.” Also, the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) are hosting a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace, on August 14, 2025. As Fr Swan noted in his article: “If all of us pledge to dedicate more prayer and our Friday fast for justice and a lasting peace in the Middle-East, I believe it would have a powerful effect.”
Educate yourself and do not remain silent: While it can be painful to watch, it is critical that we continue to conscientise ourselves to the realities that unfold before us and raise awareness of the injustices that violate the humanity of those suffering and those who perpetrate the crimes. We must raise our voices so that our political leaders cannot avert their eyes and know that they do not have our permission to continue to fuel the suffering.
We do not have to do this alone. There are thousands of compassionate individuals and groups around the world who feel the same way. Again, Fr Swan: “This is not the time for us to withdraw into safe spaces. By courageously stepping into the complexity of conflict, encountering others and forging paths of dialogue, we bring the message of reconciliation and peace where it is most needed”. We can reach out and show solidarity with Father Gabriel Romanelli and the parishioners at Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Parish in Gaza. You can follow Fr Romanelli on Instagram @gabrielromanellisivori or on YouTube P. Gabriel Romanelli – YouTube. We can march alongside the Dominicans for Justice at the national marches in Dublin or keep an eye out for other marches in your area and join them if you can.
Boycott: The power of boycotts is central to the Irish response to injustice. The impact of the bravery of the Dunnes Stores strikers opposing apartheid continues to reverberate today. One of the original strikers maintains her opposition to injustice 41 years later, this time in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Boycotts work. I recently downloaded onto my mobile phone the No Thanks app that helps to identify those products and services that continue to support and facilitate the suffering in the Occupied Territories. The breadth of the corporate, academic and political collusion is devastating, resulting in few alternatives as you glide though the supermarket shelves. But there are alternatives. Recently, I came across Palestine Cola in one of the middle eastern restaurants in Dublin. It is a carbonated soft-drink alternative run by a Palestinian family who are based in Sweden. Each can of cola sold, “contributes to the empowerment and sustainability of Palestinian communities”. My next task is to write and petition Dunnes Stores to stock Palestine Drinks.
Support others: There are other ways to support and keep the hope alive. You may have been following the Freedom Flotilla attempts to ‘break the siege’ and bring necessary humanitarian supplies into Gaza. While most attempts have until now been unsuccessful, the coalition is not giving up. On 31st August they will once again launch a coordinated attempt to break the illegal Israeli siege over Gaza. There will be dozens of boats sailing from Spain, to meet dozens more on 4th September who will sail from Tunisia and other ports to sail towards Gaza. Alongside this, there will be more than 44 countries on simultaneous demonstrations and actions. We can follow and support their journey.
In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the late Pope Francis called for a new and creative solidarity necessary to respond to the crises facing our modern age. He called on everyone to play their part in ensuring peace, neighbourliness in particular in our ‘welcoming the stranger’, to oppose racism, prejudice and discrimination. In solidarity, a just peace is possible for all humanity and our common home.
“Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realized each day. It is not possible to settle for what was achieved in the past and complacently enjoy it, as if we could somehow disregard the fact that many of our brothers and sisters still endure situations that cry out for our attention” [Fratelli Tutti 11].
Young Joseph and his hope for the future
I will end this blog with a video I came across which gave me great hope for the future. It is a video of a young boy called Joseph, living in Bali, who founded Joseph Recycling (@joseph_recycling) to raise money through his project to support children to go to school. Joseph is a shining example of living out both Fratelli Tutti and Laudato Si in his caring for both humanity and the environment:
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