Irish prime minister says pope supportive of Northern Ireland peace

Published: 2005-07-07

ROME (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI praised the progress made by the Northern Ireland peace process in ending sectarian violence, said Ireland's prime minister after meeting with the pontiff at the Vatican. Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said the pope "was very pleased that we had made such success in ending the killing, the brutality and the horrors of the past, and he was very encouraging in his words." He said the pope told him dialogue with Catholic and Protestant church leaders would help make the possibilities of a political resolution "even greater." The Irish prime minister met with the pope July 7 in a private audience at the Vatican. They spent about 25 minutes in closed-door talks that focused on Europe and recent developments in the Northern Ireland peace process, Ahern told reporters. He said Pope Benedict was "very supportive" of the peace process that most recently began in 1998 with the Good Friday Agreement.

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