NORTHERN IRELAND
The agreement signed in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants “is an epoch-making event and puts an end to years of violence, pain and misery for thousands of families. It is the beginning of a new hope for all those who live here”. This was stated to SIR by the archbishop of Dublin, mgr. Diarmuid Martin, according to whom “now the politicians of both sides can move from ideological positions to pragmatic position. They can work to prove we can live in peace”. “Work not only to build a fair, peaceful society but also to create all it takes to progress, such as roads, basic services, promoting a economy in which all citizens will have the same opportunities”. A task that “must be carried on by Dublin and London in cooperation with Belfast for the people of Northern Ireland. The success of this new chapter depends on the involvement of all sides. The only possible future for Ireland is one which gives space to mutual understanding, between London and Dublin, between the North and the South, between Unionists and Nationalists, between Catholics and Protestants, between believers and non believers”. According to the archbishop, “it won’t be easy. Ireland in the future will be a very different country, with a different ethnic and cultural mix, and will be fully part of a vibrant Europe”. “The building and reconciliation process will be a priority for the Church. What we have to do – concludes mgr. Martin – is bring to light the most creative things we have in our traditions and join efforts for an Ireland in which everyone will feel they belong”.
