No national day of mourning for Pope
However, flags will continue to fly at half mast on all public buildings until the Pope’s funeral. In addition, Mr Ahern said the Government would fully involve itself in Church services.
These will include diocesan Masses for the Pope at 7.30pm tonight in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, to be celebrated by Most Rev Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and 8pm in St Macartan’s Cathedral, Monaghan, to be celebrated by Most Rev Joseph Duffy, Bishop of Clogher.
Both the Taoiseach and President Mary McAleese will attend a Mass of remembrance at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin at 5.45pm tomorrow evening. The mass will be concelebrated by Most Rev Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, and Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland.
The President will lead a national delegation to the Pope’s funeral in the Vatican.
“We won’t have a national day of mourning as such, but between now and the funeral, we will fully participate in all [events], and we would ask people to fully comply not just for one day, but for each day, with the flags at half mast, and to be involved in the church services,” Mr Ahern said at a press conference at Government Buildings yesterday.
A Government meeting, which was due to be held in Cork on Wednesday to mark the city’s year as European Capital of Culture, has been cancelled.
Meanwhile, the Apostolic Nunciature in Ireland will open a book of condolence at the Nunciature, located at 183 Navan Road, Dublin 7, where it can be signed today, tomorrow and Wednesday between 10am and 3pm.
The Irish Bishops’ Conference has opened an online book, to which messages can be sent via the website of the Catholic Communications Office.
Messages can be emailed to info@catholiccommunications.ie.
The office also has a special feature on its website to mark the Pope’s death.
Audio links to the Pope’s 1979 homilies and speeches in Ireland are available on the site, www.catholiccommunications.ie/popeireland1979.
