Cathal BarryHorrific suffering leaves a lasting impact
An Irish priest has spoken of the “horrors” of the war between Hamas and Israel after seeing at first hand the injuries suffered by Palestinian victims of the conflict in Gaza.
Fr Billy Swan, curate at St Aidan’s Cathedral in Enniscorthy, said what he had seen at St Joseph’s Hospital in Jerusalem last week made him angry “because of man’s inhumanity to man and because the international community does not seem capable of preventing the bloodshed”.
“At the same time I felt proud to be part of the Catholic Church and united to those helping these people who are suffering so much at this time,” he told The Irish Catholic.
Admitting he had never been to a hospital caring for victims of war before, Fr Swan said he will be “processing the great impact of the very real horrors for a long time to come”.
“Some of the things I saw were truly horrific and opened my eyes to the human story behind the war,” he said.
The Co. Wexford cleric, who was in Jerusalem for three weeks as part of a priestly renewal course, said the “tragic reality of the war and the suffering it caused” had been a “crucial part” of his renewal process.
Fr Swan, who arrived home this week, said he viewed his role as showing “solidarity and support” with those injured in the conflict.
New experience
“It was a totally new experience for me. I was just there to show solidarity and support and be compassionate to those who had been injured and were suffering.
“It was a mission of mercy. I saw it as an opportunity to reach out to them in their time of desperation. It was wonderful to be a part of the Church’s response to the suffering in some small way,” he said.