Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

On behalf of the Green Party, I, too, extend good wishes to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. I hope and pray he will have the courage, humility and the strength of spiritual leadership to confront the many challenges that currently face the world, wherever he may go, whether war, poverty or injustice, some within his own church. I hope he continues the enthusiastic work of his predecessor in drawing attention to and making a plea for what he termed an ecological conversion, namely, the compassion humanity and the wider web of life needs to confront the problems that have arisen as a result — as Pope John Paul II said — of the way humanity acted as "an autonomous despot" in relation to the rest of creation. This needs to be faced up to. That ecological conversion needs to be given practical effect.

As a Catholic from a reformed tradition, and on behalf of the many people who are not Roman Catholic, I hope the new Pope will continue the work of his predecessor in reaching out to other traditions. That is particularly pertinent and helpful on this island, as we hope to overcome many long years of intolerance and build a tolerant and mutually respectful society in which Pope Benedict XVI will I hope play an active and positive role.

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