Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The warm welcome which other faiths have given to the Pope's forthcoming visit is a great testament to the strength of interfaith relations at the moment and it is particularly welcome that this has extended beyond Christian churches. Given the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, it is worth remembering the statements of the late Pope John Paul II when he attacked sectarianism during his visit in 1979. In Drogheda, he said to the illegitimate armies who were then waging war, "On my knees I beg you to turn away from the path of violence and return to the ways of peace." That was a very important moment in building trust between religions in the fight for peace and it was a key dynamic in the victory of democracy and the ultimate end of violence, although it took a long while for a number of men of violence to heed his words. In this spirit, I hope our Government will seek to ensure that there is space in the Pope's itinerary to reaffirm the anti-sectarian sentiments with which he is so strongly associated and to encourage the work of different faith leaders here on this very point.

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