Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)

The Leader has already proposed the motion in respect of Pope Francis. There has been a lot of discussion of him and his nature as a person. I do not agree with all of the church's teachings in many areas and have challenged the role the church has played in terms of the Irish State.Pope Francis's quotes and messages are really important contributions to thought in our time and the moral and policy space. He said that capitalism without limits create pain without limits. He said, "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?" He talked about the inequality of those issues. In Laudato si', importantly, he spoke about the groaning earth, the challenge of interconnectedness and climate change as urgent. He also spoke about peace - the work of peace, which has been neglected constantly in a new narrative of war that is sweeping across the world - and the rights of refugees - not as numbers but as men, women, children, families and people who are suffering.

The one I want to highlight today, because it is one we all need to remember, is his repudiation of the doctrine of discovery. This is something from the 1500s. It was the doctrine that suggested and underpinned the argument that there is any justification for colonialism, the taking of land from indigenous peoples, its occupation and their destruction. For centuries, this was the underpinning for colonialism. He repudiated it. I acknowledge these ideas because they are ideas that we in our different ways continue to take up. Right now, we have a new doctrine of discovery - a new doctrine of colonialism - that is sweeping across the world in a wave of justification of colonialism. One of the clearest examples is the justification for the genocide that is taking place in Gaza and the idea that one might be displacing an entire population or letting it starve to advance one's own interests and security. It is regrettable that at a time when ideas and words matter, we had in our Seanad somebody who should be challenged. In his tweets, he spoke about his visit to our Seanad. There was a conversation about trade and matters of defence. This is from somebody who wears his IDF uniform in the commission, has past pushed for legislation to allow for more weapons, has called for more destruction of infrastructure and, when challenged about the deaths of children in Gaza, said they are not innocent civilians. I urge real consideration. This is a moment of diplomatic urgency. Last week, the occasion when we had this diplomatic visit was the moment the World Food Programme told us that food ran out in Gaza. The food from the World Food Programme ran out. It had no more food to give. Every opportunity must be taken. These are urgent moments. We should not contribute to a normalisation of a new narrative that some countries are able to ignore international law and colonise if it makes them more comfortable.

UNICEF posted that the children - the starving, starved and dying children of Gaza - are too emaciated and exhausted to cry out. It behoves us as parliamentarians and this Seanad to use every opportunity we have. I say with respect to the Cathaoirleach and my colleagues across the House and Government that we cannot let those issues - trade, technology and others - become the only things on the agenda and let the fact of a genocide and let pass us by the fact it is a choice not to let food into Gaza at a time when the population is dying. We must cry out and speak out. We cannot justify silence. I urge a redoubling of our diplomatic efforts in these matters. When the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade came to the House, unfortunately, the timing naturally meant that the focus was on tariffs, but we need to have that debate on what Ireland is doing on Gaza. We need to know at every level what is happening and we need to know that, behind closed doors, the same messages are being given to any delegates who come, particularly those who come with a doctrine or message of hate or dismissal in respect of the human rights of the people of Gaza.