Foreign minister meets Pope
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern met with the Pope today during celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Holy See.
Mr Ahern was to also meet with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State at the Vatican, to mark the occasion.
Pope John Paul II appeared to be in good health as he greeted Mr Ahern and his wife, with their party.
Earlier Mr Ahern said: “The 75th anniversary and my visit to the Holy See is an opportunity to underline the values common to Ireland and the Holy See in the international sphere.”
He said this was also an opportunity to acknowledge the role the Catholic Church has played in Irish society.
The Irish Embassy to the Holy See was established in 1929 and since then a total of 19 Heads of Mission have served there.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, speaking at a conference at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome yesterday, said the fundamental basis for good diplomatic relations depended on honesty, trust and transparency.
“Perhaps the time has come to speak more openly of what structures for ‘open, transparent and regular’ dialogue between Church and State could be established in Ireland,” he said.
“Forms of structured dialogue could be found which would respect each of the religious confessions and faiths present in Ireland as well as being respectful of the specific autonomy which belongs to religious bodies.”
