Irish priests ready to play their part

AMONG the 300 ministers of the Eucharist distributing Holy Communion in St Peter’s Square during Pope John Paul II’s funeral tomorrow will be two young Irish priests.

Among the estimated two million people who will be trying to get into St Peter’s Square will be one of their friends, a seminarian, who vows to be up at three in the morning to bid for a place in the crowd.

“When you go to St Peter’s you bring with you the prayers of the people at home. So many people have emailed and phoned us and asked us for prayers,” explains Aiden O’Brien.