Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Ba mhór an chailliúint do dhaoine ar fud na hÉireann agus ar fud na cruinne bás an Phápa Eoin Pól II. The death of Pope John Paul II was a cause of sorrow to people throughout Ireland and the world. He was the leader of the Catholic Church from 1978 and he spent his long life in the service of that church and the promotion of inter-faith relations. He was a man of deep faith. He had a strong personality and he made a deep impression on people individually and collectively. His intelligence, integrity and spirituality were clear to all, as were his courage and determination in the face of the long and very debilitating illness he suffered in the last years of his life.

The early life experience of Karol Wojtyla in Nazi-occupied Poland was hugely important in shaping his outlook and deepening his faith. It also meant that many people throughout the world felt a special affinity with him. It was no coincidence that he was recognised by people of the Jewish faith as the pontiff who did most to advance reconciliation and to make amends on behalf of the Catholic Church for the persecution of Jews over many centuries. His act of forgiveness of the man who tried to assassinate him was also of great significance and, more recently, his call for the cancellation of Third World debt and his opposition to the imperialist war in Iraq were widely welcomed.

For many in the Catholic Church, the undoubted personal integrity, spirituality and leadership qualities of the late Pope cannot obscure the deep division among Catholics over doctrine, over the governance of the church. This is neither the time nor the place to go into those issues which are primarily the concern of members of the Catholic Church, but some of these matters have major social consequences which are of wider concern.

The ban on contraception and divorce, imposed by the State and based on Catholic doctrine, undoubtedly contributed very significantly to the second-class status of women. The church strongly opposed the lifting of those bans. The opposition of the Catholic Church to contraception is undoubtedly an obstacle to the fight against HIV-AIDS throughout the world today. On these issues the late pontiff was conservative and they will continue to be hugely challenging issues for his successor, as will the failure of Rome to deal justly with the scandal of widespread child abuse by clergy and the blind eye that was turned to it for decades.

The Pope's visit to Drogheda has been recalled many times since his death. We have heard again of his appeal to those whom he called men and women engaged in violence. It is presumed that the main author of that section of the pontiff's speech was the then Bishop of Down and Connor, Cathal Daly, who proved incapable of condemning the violence of the British state with the vehemence he reserved for others. I will conclude with another passage from the speech delivered by Pope John Paul II, which is also worthy of remembering. I nDroichead Átha, dúirt sé:

Every human being has inalienable rights that must be respected. Each human community — ethnic, historical, cultural or religious — has rights which must be respected. Peace is threatened every time one of . . . [those] rights is violated. The moral law, guardian of human rights, protector of the dignity of man, cannot be set aside by any person or group, or by the State itself, for any cause, not even for security or in the interests of law and order. The Law of God stands in judgment over all reasons of State.

As long as injustice exists in any of the areas that touch upon the dignity of the human person, be it in the political, social or economic field, be it in the cultural or religious sphere, true peace will not exist. The causes of inequalities must be identified through a courageous and objective evaluation, and they must be eliminated so that every person can develop and grow in the full measure of his or her humanity.

I wholeheartedly endorse the motion before the House. Ar lámh dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

See this speech in context