Day of Prayer and Reflection for Gaza on Sunday 24th August 2025

Day of Prayer and Reflection for Gaza on Sunday 24th August 2025
To all Parishes in the Archdiocese of Dublin

I invite all parishes in the Archdiocese to dedicate Sunday 24th August as a special day of prayer and reflection for Gaza and for a renewed commitment by the international community for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. This appeal, which I am making in conjunction with Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh (whose letter is attached and available here), unites us in prayer before God, crying out for an end to all the terror and violence being perpetrated with tragic results for all.

As Pope Leo said, addressing the young people gathered for the Jubilee of Youth in Rome, and encouraging them in their desire to transform our world for the good: ‘We are with the young people of Gaza, we are with the young people of Ukraine, with those of every land bloodied by war. My young brothers and sisters, you are the sign that a different world is possible: a world of fraternity and friendship, where conflicts are not resolved with weapons but with dialogue.’ (Pope Leo XIV, Angelus, 3rd August 2025).

May we all be a sign, by our prayer and action, that a different world is possible, and that a route to peace and reconciliation can and must be found through dialogue.

+Dermot Farrell,
Archbishop of Dublin