On Friday, 9th of May, four Columban Sisters: Srs. Teresa O’Connell, Mary Duane, Kathleen Geaney and Rebecca Conlon attended the reading of the Proclamation outside the GPO, General Post Office, marking the eighty years since the official end of World War 11 in Europe. That terrible war cost over 60 million lives. The people of Europe have learned the lessons of the last century: We know that Europe must mean: War, never again for anybody.
Today, at this very time our friends in the European Peace Project, all over Europe, are proclaiming their Manifesto for Peace in Europe. We are joined with them in reading our Proclamation of Peace in line with theirs.
‘We, the People of Europe raise our voices on this day, Europe Day, and in this place, the GPO, General Post Office, Dublin, the home of the 1916 Proclamation, we call on the people of Ireland and on the Irish Government to prove ourselves worthy of the august destiny to which we are called in Article 29 of our Constitution, Bunreacht na hEireann’.
Various speakers highlighted the need to create a common future. We will not turn our countries into battlefields, we will not sacrifice our children on the altar of war. We oppose Europe’s plans to spend an extra 950 billion Euro on weapons. This will steal from welfare, health, housing, education, peace building and international co-operation; and from climate action and climate
justice. Armament and militarization will make war more likely and the future less secure for all of us. It will lead to more debt and more austerity. It will fuel climate change. We need a totally different plan: peace and justice, and real social, ecological and common security for Europe and the World.
We uphold and insist upon Ireland’s Neutrality in all international conflicts, despite any threats, interference or pressure from abroad.
We insist on strict adherence to Article 29 of Bunreacht na hEireann as so beautifully exemplified in the Good Friday Agreement.
Stand up against war.
Stop the militarization of Europe.