爱尔兰希金斯总统的2017年圣诞节和新年祝词

　　Christmas and New Year Message from President Michael D. Higgins

　　May I, as President of Ireland, mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, send you my warmest wishes for a peaceful and a Happy Christmas and New Year.

　　Christmas is a time when we can pause for reflection, as we look back on the year gone by. It is a time when it is surely appropriate to recall the story that lies at the heart of this festive season. That story is of a long and difficult journey, and the birth of a child, in a temporary home, in Bethlehem two thousand years ago.

　　Let us think too of how far from a state of peace that region is today, and how the absence of peace reflects our failure at a human and diplomatic level, and how, sadly, we hear words that provoke rather than heal.

　　Across the many years and miles that separate us from the original Christmas story, we can unfortunately see too many parallels in our own society today.

　　As we reflect on this story of the search for a home, for security, let us also consider the many personal and difficult journeys currently being undertaken by so many of the fellow citizens of our shared and vulnerable planet at home and abroad.

　　As we reflect on the story of Bethlehem let us recognise its resonance in our contemporary society, be inspired to answer its call to stand in human solidarity with those for whom, and for whatever reason, this Christmas will be a dark and difficult one.

　　This Christmas, once again, the burden of homelessness will overshadow the festive season for those deprived of a secure and permanent shelter.

　　We are challenged, I suggest, to turn this time of celebration into a sustained commitment of awareness and care for those for whom each day is an act of survival.

　　May I thank those who work so tirelessly to support those in our society who are vulnerable. I have been fortunate to meet with so many groups and volunteers who have shone, and continue to shine, a light of hope into the lives of some of our most marginalised people.

　　Their work is an inspiring example and an uplifting reminder of the real will and capacity that exists among the people of Ireland, to re-imagine our society, and achieve an inclusive republic for all of our citizens.

　　As we reach the end of 2017 and begin our journey into a new year, let us make it a shared journey, encompassing the needs of all.

　　As we leave behind the dark days of mid-winter, let us share the dawning light of a new beginning as an opportunity to create, during the year to come, a sense of hope and optimism for each and every person and family.

　　Once again, I ask us all to reflect on the ongoing plight of refugees and displaced people; on the many millions of children, women and men around the world who are so far from the comfort and dignity of a home or secure shelter.

　　During 2017, we learned that 20 people are newly displaced every minute, forced to leave their homes, to seek refuge.

　　Wars, conflict, persecution, and natural disasters have forced more people to flee than at any other time since records began. Indeed, we have read of some of those fleeing being sold into slavery.

　　The ongoing humanitarian crisis emanating from Rakhine State in Myanmar, with its many hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh reminds us vividly of what some communities face on their long and difficult struggle to find a rightful place in a peaceful society.

　　As a global community and as responsible global citizens, we are called upon to respond in a way which will respect the universal right to live in safety and with dignity.

　　I know that Irish citizens across the world will stand with those who are suffering and that they will, as before, support those who are responding to these crises, and who are thus showing solidarity with the most vulnerable.

　　Sabina and I had the great pleasure, in 2017, of meeting many of the Irish abroad including those in Australia and New Zealand.

　　We were delighted to meet so many of our extended Irish family. To those and all the Irish abroad, and in whatever circumstances, I send greetings.

　　May I also, mar Uachtarán na hÉireann, thank each and every one of you who are caring for our communities throughout the holiday season, and indeed as they do during the rest of the year, An Garda Síochána, the Prison Service, all of the staff in our hospitals and emergency services, and members of the Defence Forces serving abroad who are building or supporting peace.

　　May I wish each and every one of you, wherever you may be, a peaceful and happy Christmas.

　　Beir Beannacht.

　　请允许我作为爱尔兰总统马克·乌塔兰呐·埃里安(MarUachtaránnaHéireann)向您致以最诚挚的祝愿，祝您圣诞快乐，新年快乐。

　　当我们回顾过去的一年时，圣诞节是我们可以暂停思考的时候。 现在是回想起这个节日的核心故事的时候了。 这个故事是漫长而艰难的历程，是两千年前在伯利恒临时家中诞生的一个孩子。

　　让我们也想一想，今天这个地区距离和平状态还有多远，以及和平的缺失如何反映了我们在人的和外交层面上的失败，以及我们不幸地听到的是引起而不是痊愈的话。

　　在将我们与原来的圣诞节故事分开的多年和数英里的情况下，我们不幸在今天的社会中看到了太多的相似之处。

　　当我们反思这个寻找家园的故事时，为了安全起见，让我们也考虑一下我们共同和脆弱的海内外许多同胞正在进行的许多个人艰难的旅程。

　　当我们思考伯利恒的故事时，让我们认识到它在我们当代社会的共鸣，鼓舞人心地回应它的呼声，与那些为了他们的人们团结一致，无论出于何种原因，这个圣诞节将是一个黑暗而困难的时刻。

　　今年的圣诞节，无家可归的负担再一次掩盖了那些被剥夺了安全和永久性收容所的节日。

　　我建议，我们面临的挑战是把这个庆祝的时间变成对每天是生存行为的人的持续的关心和关心。

　　请允许我感谢那些孜孜不倦地工作的人，支持我们社会中那些脆弱的人。 我有幸见到了那么多的团体和志愿者，他们为我们一些最边缘化的人民的生活照亮了希望之光。

　　他们的工作是一个鼓舞人心的榜样，是对爱尔兰人民的真实意愿和能力的一次振奋的提醒，重新想象我们的社会，实现全体公民的包容性共和国。

　　当我们到2017年底，踏上新的一年，让我们成为一个共同的旅程，涵盖所有人的需求。

　　当我们离开了冬季的黑暗时代，让我们分享一个新的开始的曙光，作为一个机会，在今后的今天，为每个人和每个家庭创造一个希望和乐观的感觉。

　　我再次要求大家思考难民和流离失所者的持续困境， 对全世界数以百万计的儿童，妇女和男子来说，远离家庭或安全庇护所的舒适和尊严。

　　2017年，我们了解到，每分钟有20人流离失所，被迫离开家园，寻求避难。

　　自记录开始以来，战争，冲突，迫害和自然灾害迫使更多的人逃离。 事实上，我们已经看到一些逃离奴隶制的人逃脱了。

　　缅甸若开邦发生的持续人道主义危机及其成千上万的逃往邻国孟加拉国的罗辛亚族人民，生动地提醒我们，一些社区面临着在和平社会中寻找合适地位的漫长而艰难的斗争。

　　作为一个国际社会和作为负责任的全球公民，我们被要求以尊重安全和有尊严生活的普遍权利的方式作出回应。

　　我知道世界各地的爱尔兰公民将会与那些正在遭受苦难的人站在一起，他们将像以前一样支持那些应对这些危机的人，并因此表现出对最弱势群体的声援。

　　我和萨宾娜很高兴在2017年会见了许多在海外的爱尔兰人，包括在澳大利亚和新西兰的人。

　　我们很高兴见到这么多的爱尔兰家庭。 对于那些在国外的爱尔兰人，在任何情况下，我都会致以问候。

　　我还要感谢UachtaránnaH'Eireann，感谢你们在整个假期期间为我们的社区照顾的每一个人，事实上，就像他们在今年的其他时间一样，监狱服务处的GardaSíochána，所有的我们医院和紧急服务部门的工作人员以及在国外服务的建立和支持和平的国防部队成员。

　　请允许我祝愿你们每一个人，无论你身在何处，一个和平而愉快的圣诞节。

　　Beir Beannacht。