Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it.

The line asserts a theological and moral conviction: love—understood as steadfast charity, forgiveness, and commitment to human dignity—ultimately outlasts violence, hatred, and political defeat. By invoking “the history of Ireland,” John Paul II points to a people marked by long periods of suffering and conflict who nonetheless preserved faith, communal bonds, and cultural identity. The remark functions as both consolation and exhortation: consolation that endurance and reconciliation are not futile, and exhortation to choose nonviolent, humane paths even amid entrenched grievances. It frames historical perseverance as evidence that love has a durable, even victorious, power over time.