World Day of Peace marked in Dublin

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will today preside at a special mass in Dublin to mark the World Day of Peace.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, public representative and members of the judiciary and diplomatic corps will attend the service at Saint Patrick’s Parish Church, Ringsend at 11am.

The theme for the 40th celebration of the World Day of Peace is The Human Person, the Heart of Peace.

The homily will be delivered by Father Ciaran O’Carroll, Parish Priest of Saggart/Rathcoole and Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at Maynooth.

The Taoiseach welcomed the message from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI which places peace and the dignity of the human person at the centre of the world’s concerns today.

“We in Ireland share fully this ideal and this focus,” he said. “In our Constitution, we as a nation affirm our devotion to the ideal of peace and friendly cooperation between nations founded on international justice and morality.

“We recognise that the dignity and freedom of our people are preserved by our Constitution’s protection of their fundamental rights.”

Mr Ahern said that through more than 25 years of recent conflict on the island of Ireland, we have remained focused on pursuing its peaceful resolution.

“We believed that the problem of Northern Ireland could only be resolved through consent, the pursuit of equality and human rights, the rule of law, and dialogue involving all the parties to the conflict,” he continued.

“Our experience on this island has shown that a just and lasting peace is built over time, sometimes slowly, but always with patience and determination.

“In Northern Ireland I am hopeful that this work of construction is nearing completion.

“Its capstone is support on the one hand for power-sharing and on the other hand for policing and the rule of law.

“Once these elements are in place, as I hope they will be very soon, we will see the real benefits that devolved Government can bring to all in the community.”

The Taoiseach paid tribute to Irish missionaries and aid workers who work in dangerous situations, including the 434 who died and almost 1,000 injured between 1997 and 2005.

He also made fresh calls for peace in Darfur, which he described as an evil and grave crisis, and reiterated his deep concerns at the appalling human rights situation in the area and the recent outbreak of violence in South Sudan.

“The unacceptable situation there is deeply disturbing and must be confronted,” he said, adding Ireland would continue to use every opportunity to highlight the continued need for international action to resolve the situation there.