Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

With the death of Pope John Paul II, we have lost one of the greatest world leaders of our time. From his first day as Pope when he referred to having come from a far country to the day of his burial last Friday, he made a huge impact not only on religious matters but also on world affairs. Earlier this year, readers of the Financial Times voted him the most influential figure on the European stage. In the past 12 months a UK poll rated him as among the three most admired living people in the world, ranking him alongside Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton. Few events in the world and particularly a funeral could lead the world to such a standstill as the people of all faiths and none paid their tributes to this great man last week. Countless world events were either postponed or changed to facilitate and mark his passing.

As the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform said, his background is interesting. He worked in the Polish coalmines to earn the fees for a university education. He witnessed the invasion of his native Poland by Hitler which sparked off a war that was to affect the entire world. He witnessed one in six of his fellow countrymen facing a violent death in the following six years. He witnessed the takeover of his country by a communist regime. He experienced the effect nazism and communism had on the dignity of the human person. All of this along with his undoubted Christian faith moulded him into the type of leader the world came to admire greatly. His impact on world affairs was extraordinary. He is rightly credited with assisting in the fall in communism and the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

While his influence on every country he visited cannot be measured in any quantitative sense, his impact was enormous. During his visit to this country in 1979, Pope John Paul II made a huge impact. Other speakers have indicated the remarkable esteem and outpouring of emotion that greeted the first visit of a pope to this country. However, the full impact of his visit has yet to be realised. His plea on bended knee in Drogheda to the men of violence to adopt peaceful means has yet to be fully answered. His words continue to have resonance today. In seeking an end to violence and criminality, the Government recently invoked his 1979 plea. Perhaps now is the time for strong leadership as epitomised in Pope John Paul II and to take control of the peace process, end ambiguity and appeasement and let the men of violence know the game is up. There can be no greater way for Members of this House to honour the late pope than by showing this type of leadership and ridding the country of the men of violence once and for all.

He appealed to both conservatives and liberals, to one with his heart and to one with his head. Regardless of whether one agreed with him, he was resolute and strong. People knew where they stood with him. I am sure his tenure as pope will continue to have an impact on religious and world affairs for many years to come. He deserves our gratitude and respect.

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