Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

On behalf of the Labour Party, I join today's tribute to an outstanding world leader who passed away a short time ago. As others have said, Pope John Paul II was a truly great leader of the 20th century and at his most inspiring in the way he faced the illness he endured in recent years and in his passing. Any of us who saw his expression on Easter Sunday as he tried to speak to his flock could not have been anything other than moved by his frustration and sense of what appeared to be uselessness but was most certainly not. We have known for some weeks that the Pope was going to pass from us. His humanity and sanctity lived side by side in his endurance in the weeks before his death.

I remember 1979, I was at university in Galway, one of the young people of Ireland. At a certain level I resisted being there but the whole country was mobilised in an extraordinary fashion and there was no way than that my mother in particular would have it any other way than my being on the bus to Galway from our parish at 5 a.m. like everyone else. It was an amazing event to be part of because so few were not part of it.

I agree with Senator Brian Hayes. Thinking about it since, particularly in the last few days, the Pope's visit was the high point of Irish Catholicism. One could not help noting in the reviews of the era how Bishop Casey and Fr. MichaelCleary were prominent in Galway. We saw what happened afterwards, with the crashing sense of disappointment that so many people felt, particularly the older generation, as the fault lines in the church were starkly revealed, some of which have not yet been resolved. Be that as it may, however, it was an inspiring time and it came back to us clearly last week.

It was an extraordinary thing to see the many millions of people who went to Rome to pay their respects to Pope John Paul II. It was an indication of the life he led in an era of mass communications. He was an outstanding communicator and used the media in a powerful way that allowed his greatness to show. He had the ability to be with many thousands of people in a stadium while reaching across the globe and acting as a truly global leader. That was evident in the manner of the tribute paid to him by many millions of people last week.

I pay tribute to the Irish media for the wonderful coverage of events, particularly the requiem mass on Friday. I listened to "Liveline" and to the many people who phoned in spontaneously to say that they had been at services and gatherings throughout the day to mark the passing of this great man. Despite the fact that we had no day of mourning, and quite a squabble over it, people were willing to join together to mark the Pope's legacy and note how this great man had touched their lives.

On Friday evening, we were joined in the church in Nenagh by 50 members of the Polish community who were invited to take part in the ceremonies. It was deeply touching to see them participate in a simple but profound way in our parish. It is one of the outstanding memories I will have of this leader.

I will not rehearse as other speakers have successfully done the many achievements of Pope John Paul II. The stand he made for the people of Poland marked a turning of the tide in world events, especially in Europe where the fall of communism resulted in a changed vista. There is no doubt that the Berlin Wall came down as a direct result and that the expansion of the European Union has formed part of the legacy. Pope John Paul II played an outstanding role in European events and will prove a very hard act to follow for whoever succeeds him.

As a female member of the Catholic Church, I have noted with some sadness and disappointment that the expression of women's ministry has not been allowed to develop under the last papacy. I hope the new millennium will be an era in which a new Pope will allow the expression of women's ministry to fully play out. In saying as much, I do not wish to detract from the greatness of Pope John Paul II. While sadness and disappointment at some aspects of his papacy do not undermine the tribute I pay to him, I cannot allow the occasion to pass without noting them.

The blight of clerical child abuse here and elsewhere has severely undermined the ministry of the Catholic Church and created a negative dynamic which has yet to be resolved. Having family members in the priesthood as, probably, do many other Members, I am aware of the level of personal hurt caused them as outstanding pastors by the horrendous actions of a number of people within the church. We have yet to reach the point at which the church stands forgiven by the victims of clerical child abuse as was evident from the reaction to Cardinal Law in Rome yesterday. I imagine the reaction was echoed in certain quarters here. Many expected a different type of leadership to be shown from the papacy which has just ended on Aids in Africa and the alienation of the gay community internationally. Many will hope for a different type of leadership from the papacy going forward.

I do not want my comments to undermine a tribute to the extraordinary legacy and outstanding, inspirational leadership of one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. As Mark Hederman noted on RTE radio last Friday, the passing of Pope John Paul II marks in many ways the passing of the 20th century. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.