'Hugging Saint' in line for peace prize
An Indian spiritual teacher known as “the Hugging Saint” is in the running for the Tipperary Peace Prize, it emerged today.
The humanitarian known as Amma has been nominated by the public alongside others such as the Defence Forces and Zimbabwean politician Morgan Tsvangirai.
The Hugging Saint, who has embraced hundreds of thousands of people who queue for hours to meet her, is visiting Dublin on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
“One person nominated Amma for her work in spreading peace,” said the spokesman for the Tipperary Peace Prize, Martin Quinn.
“A simple hug is such a universal symbol of love, peace, support – it resonates with a lot of people.”
The Peace Prize has been previously won by former US president Bill Clinton and statesman Nelson Mandela.
The Warrington Male Voice Choir, which helped promote peace following a 1993 IRA bomb in the UK city, is also nominated. The 15th anniversary of the atrocity was marked in 2008.
The Irish Defence Forces celebrated 50 years of peacekeeping duties overseas earlier this year.
Other candidates for the Peace Prize include the Cluster Munitions Coalition which organised a successful diplomatic conference in Dublin in May.
An international treaty banning the use of cluster bombs will be signed by Ireland and other counties next month.
The name of Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe, has been put forward for his fight to offer his fellow countrymen an alternative to the administration of Robert Mugabe.
The Tipperary Peace Prize is marking its 25th anniversary in 2009 and previous recipients such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Bob Geldof are being invited to a ceremony in Co Tipperary.
The Award was first founded in 1984 when politician and diplomat Sean McBride received the prize.
The gong will be presented in Tipperary town on May 1, 2009 as part of the Annual Tipperary International Peace Conference.
