Michael D Higgins calls for solidarity with refugees in Christmas message

President Michael D Higgins has called for people to show “solidarity” with refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine or the risk of famine in Africa in his annual Christmas message.

Mr Higgins said the holiday period was a time to try to “put ourselves in the shoes of the ‘other’”, such as the more than 100 million people “forcibly displaced across the globe”.

This included refugees fleeing the “horrific consequences of war in Ukraine” and others experiencing hunger in the Horn of Africa, which he said was a “direct result of climate change”.

Mr Higgins noted that while populations in the region had contributed so little to climate change, they “overwhelmingly bear its destructive consequences”.

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“To those who have sought refuge with us and for whom this may be their first Christmas in Ireland, may I extend a warm welcome. May your Christmas be one of peace and hope,” he said.

The President said he wanted to again extend his sympathies to the people of Creeslough, Co Donegal, where ten people were killed when an explosion destroyed an Applegreen service station in early October.

Mr Higgins said a “terrible tragedy” had been visited on the close knit community and others who knew those who were killed.

[ This Christmas will be our first in Ireland since leaving Ukraine, and the first without my mother ]

“I hope this coming year will bring you some space for healing and that, along with your profound sadness, your loved ones can be remembered with appreciation by you for all that was shared with them, your lives together,” he said.

Mr Higgins said while thanking all members of the Defence Forces serving overseas this Christmas to support peace, he was thinking of the family of Private Seán Rooney, who was killed in Lebanon last week, and the family of Shane Kearney, who was injured during the same incident.

“May I assure the women and men of our Defence Forces that your sacrifices for peace are greatly appreciated by the people of Ireland,” he said.

Mr Higgins said this Christmas would be a special one for many as the first after Covid-19.

He said it was also important while celebrating over the holiday to bear in mind people in Ireland without a home, “whose circumstances are the responsibility of us all”.

“We are deeply grateful to those who work in our hospitals and emergency services, the volunteers who will be attending to the needs of the homeless, the vulnerable and the marginalised, and to all those who so generously give up so much of their Christmas to the needs of others,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran has said “much more needs to be done” on homelessness, adding that there shot be competition between the various groups of people in needs.

In his Christmas message, Bishop Doran spoke about the stable in Bethlehem where Mary was provided with shelter.

“The stable is a sign of contradiction. The Holy Family walk in the shoes of the homeless family, the asylum seeker, or the refugee,” he said.

“When we welcome them, it is as if we welcomed Jesus himself. In this past year, many doors and many hearts have been opened in Ireland, and I believe that will prove to be a rich source of blessing. Much more needs to be done, of course, and it must not become a competition between different groups of homeless people, because in the end they all have the same need.”