“I was a fool, and what I’ve seen has made me two fools.”

Rafael Alberti, Spanish poet

My dear brothers and sisters in humanity. Fellow seekers of justice. To all who yearn for a world of true peace, let us gather our hearts and voices as one. We are bound by a spirit of reconciliation beyond borders and creeds. We are inspired by the unyielding pursuit of dignity for every soul. We must examine the depths of our times and raise our cry against wrongdoing. It is crucial to confront the shadows of wrongdoing. We must confront the criminality and impunity that darken our shared world. We must stand resolute against injustice, wherever it rears its head, and proclaim with unwavering conviction: Enough is enough.

This path we tread will not be strewn with roses, nor graced with effortless harmony and boundless love among siblings. No, it demands courage and sacrifice. It requires a profound commitment to the common good. This is a commitment that echoes the long walk to freedom we have known in history’s darkest hours.

In this troubled era, some might call it a vile new world. To denounce genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and war crimes has become nothing short of a revolutionary act. Speaking out against the grievous abuses of human rights is equally revolutionary.

It is the cry of the prophets. It is the march of the oppressed. It is the quiet insistence of conscience in the face of overwhelming silence. We must rail against amorality, disinhibition, and the degeneration of our moral fabric. This is the sacred duty of dissidents. They refuse to let darkness extinguish the light of truth. As I have often reflected in my own humble ministry, we must investigate with care and honesty. We must determine whether actions in places like Gaza bear the marks of genocide. Such inquiries are not accusations. They are pleas for the respect of every human life, created in the image of God.

In this vile new world, opposing vehemently the sins that cry out to heaven can be twisted by some. They mistakenly interpret it as racism or antisemitism. These sins include the oppression of the poor, the shedding of innocent blood, and the defrauding of the labourer. Yet among those who speak with moral clarity, we find voices from every corner. They include servants of the Church, and Pedro Sánchez of Spain. He has decried the famine in Gaza as a disgrace to humanity and called for an end to the blockade. Simon Harris of Ireland and António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, are also among these voices. Guterres has urged the world to heed the cries of outrage. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil has condemned the extermination efforts in Gaza. He has also advocated for Palestinian statehood. Other leaders include Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar are part of this group. Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Alexander De Croo of Belgium stand with us too. Emmanuel Macron of France has recognized Palestinian statehood amid the crisis. Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan and Mia Mottley of Barbados join the call. Wang Yi of China and Sergey Lavrov of Russia have spoken out. Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi of Indonesia and Mohamad Hasan of Malaysia agree. So many others, in forums like the UN General Assembly and G20 summits, have called for ceasefires, aid, and justice.

These are not isolated whispers but a chorus demanding accountability.

We are being pushed into a distorted reality. In this reality, wrong is reframed as right. The taking of life is disguised as care. The suffering of children is dismissed as inevitable. All this, we are told, serves the common good, fosters unity, or protects vested interests deemed divine. But let us remember, as Nelson Mandela so profoundly taught us, “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made, and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.”

The structures of oppression in our time are also evident. In Gaza, forced displacement and starvation have been documented as acts of cruelty, not mere warfare. These structures appear in any corner where human dignity is trampled.

In this vile new world, we behold the degeneracy of those who find it acceptable, even entertaining, to celebrate death, dismemberment, and destruction. It harkens back to the brutal ignorance of “my country, right or wrong,” the arrogance of “my way or the highway,” and the hypocrisy of “do as I say, not as I do.” We risk losing our collective moral compass, our innate sense of righteousness, and our reverence for life and people. As Mandela reminded us in his pursuit of a rainbow nation, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin. They are not born hating his background or his religion. People must learn to hate. If they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. Love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

We are guided, or misguided, by leaders who are liars, opportunists, and exploiters. We must awaken to the truth that electing individuals of integrity far outweighs choosing the cunning yet unscrupulous. We overlook the human and ethical imperatives at our peril, failing our stewardship of the earth and its inhabitants, as has been urged in Laudato Si, calling us to care for our common home and the most vulnerable.

We see analyses in reflections from the Financial Times. They decry the world’s failure toward the Palestinian people. Scholars and rights groups affirm that military operations and settler violence have edged toward genocide.

Yet, in this vile new world, we are called to forge beacons of hope, light, and guidance. We must extend our hands to the victims, offering solace to the repressed and restoring dignity to all. Let us not impose the vileness of a few upon the innocent. This includes men, women, and especially children. Their cries from Gaza rise to heaven. I have renewed appeals for ceasefires and humanitarian respect. We must declare firmly: Enough is enough. We reject the rogues in power, educating one another to embody ethical, engaged, and empathetic citizenship. In a world of diverse opinions and views, true freedom flourishes only when rooted in mutual respect.

Now, more than ever, the United Nations stands as a vital instrument for peace.

Genuine democracy and unwavering respect for all human rights are indispensable. Honesty in politics must be our guiding star. We need to embrace rigour and decency in our political actions. Mandela exemplified this in dismantling apartheid: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Allow me to conclude with a reflection from a cherished companion in the struggle for justice. If one ventures to harm or kill children, or even lends support to such horrors, that individual reveals a disgusting, amoral, and criminal psychopathy, worse than the vilest depravities. Nothing else defines them: not religion, ideology, party, nationality, cuisine, preferred entertainment, favourite football team, ethnicity, culture, nor even the simplest preferences. For in the end, as we contemplate the fragility of life amid conflicts like Gaza’s, we must choose love over hate, peace over war, and humanity over barbarism.

Thank you for lending your ears and hearts. May we walk together toward a dawn of true reconciliation and mercy.

Sir Afilonius Rex, Madrid, 17th October 2024 (Rewritten and expanded in the blended spirits of compassion, justice, and introspection) 15th December 2025