Peace process in North must work, says Pope

THE world needs the Northern Ireland peace process to work to show that Christians can co-exist together, Pope Benedict said yesterday.

The Pontiff made his comments during a 35-minute meeting with President Mary McAleese in the Vatican.

As Monday’s deadline for power-sharing looms, the British and Irish governments hope Rev Ian Paisley will lead his Democratic Unionist Party into Belfast’s Stormont Assembly with Sinn Féin.

Ms McAleese’s spokesman said after yesterday’s Vatican talks: “The peace process in Northern Ireland was discussed and the Pope said that the world needed this process to work and emphasised the importance of Christians working together, demonstrating that reconciliation can work.”

According to Ms McAleese, the Pope also indicated that the Irish bishops had invited him to visit Ireland and he added: “We must see what is possible.”

The President told him: “I, the Irish people and the Government, would welcome this visit and support it in every way possible.”

Pope Benedict also made reference to the structured, inter-church dialogue that the Irish churches had initiated and said he hoped it would become a model for other countries.

He also complimented Ireland on its White Paper on overseas development aid and expressed his hope that this funding would help the valuable work of Irish missionaries abroad.

During their meeting, they discussed the Republic’s role in building a united Europe, stressing the continent’s “Christian roots” as well as church-state relations in the country and the peace process in Northern Ireland.

A number of Catholic countries have pushed for recognition in an eventual EU constitution of Christianity’s role in forming Europe. A constitution was mothballed — at least for the time being — after rejection by Dutch and French voters in 2005.

McAleese brought the German-born Pope a book by a German who went to live in Ireland after the Second World War and a Waterford crystal cross.

The Pope gave her a 16th-century etching of the restoration of St Peter’s Basilica.

During her visit to Italy, Ms McAleese also met the President of Italy, Giorgio Napoletano, and attended engagements at the Pontifical Irish College and the Dominican Community in Rome.

She also met Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and addressed the EU Bishops’ Conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.