Speaking at the graduation ceremony at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, on Saturday, November 7, Archbishop Eamon Martin reminded graduates that “peace is everyone’s responsibility,” and that “peace and human dignity deserve protection at all times.”
He told the graduates that “in this world which tends towards increased polarisation,” pastors, philosophers, theologians, and educators, “are especially called to be peacemakers who pray and work for reconciliation.” The archbishop said that this is best done “through patient engagement and dialogue, especially with those whose opinions might differ from yours.”
“It is not a betrayal of our own convictions to engage in sustained and intelligent dialogue with others,” he said. “Especially given that such dialogue can overcome war and violence, protect the vulnerable and safeguard the future of humanity itself”
Archbishop Martin said, “There are too many people in today’s world who would even seek to justify war and violence in the name of God,” and encouraged the “newly minted” philosophers, educators, pastors and theologians to “embrace ‘peacemaking’ as an essential feature for your future vocations.”
Speaking on AI and human dignity, the archbishop said, “In today’s world of screens, artificial voices and digital masks, it is our task, as graduates of this Pontifical University, to defend peace, the sacredness of human life, and the dignity of every human person, who has been created with a real face and authentic voice, who can never be reduced to data to be copied or manipulated.”