Pope urges all sides to embrace peace
August 1: Pope Benedict yesterday welcomed the IRA decision to end its armed campaign and urged all sides to take further steps for peace.
“It’s fine news that contrasts with the painful events that we witness daily in many parts of the world,” the Pope told crowds after his weekly Angelus blessing at his lakeside summer residence outside Rome.
The Pope said the IRA’s announcement on Thursday of the end of its 35-year armed campaign had given “satisfaction and hope to the island and the whole international community”.
“I encourage everyone, without exception, to follow the path set out with courage, and to take further measures to reinforce mutual trust, promote reconciliation, and consolidate negotiations for a just and lasting peace.”
The good wishes of Pope Benedict XVI for the future of the North were welcomed by the Taoiseach last night.
The hopes expressed by Pope John Paul II for a peaceful resolution to the conflict during his visit to Ireland in 1979 were also recalled by Mr Ahern.
Mr Ahern said the Holy Father’s prayerful good wishes were a reminder of the “major contribution to the peace process” by clergy of all traditions.
“I had the opportunity to discuss the situation in Northern Ireland with Pope Benedict earlier this month. We recalled the words of pleading addressed to the men of violence by Pope John Paul II in Drogheda in 1979.
“It is, of course, a matter of regret that John Paul II did not live to see this further, and potentially historic, response to his appeal,” he said.
Courtesy: Fionnan Sheahan Belfast Telegraph
Pope urges all sides to embrace peace
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