Cardinal welcomes plan for queen's Irish visit

PATSY McGARRY

THE PROPOSED visit of Queen Elizabeth to the Republic has been warmly welcomed by the Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady.
It would be, he said, “an important religious and civic event”. He was also “conscious of the very warm and gracious welcome offered by Her Majesty to Pope Benedict XVI on his recent visit to Scotland and England”.
He welcomed the visit particularly “as a mark of the mutual respect that exists between our two countries and also of the deep bonds of friendship between the Church of Ireland and the Catholic Church on this island at this time”.
At the Abrahamic Religions dinner in Belfast last night, hosted by the Northern Ireland Dialogue Society, he said he hoped the Government in the Republic and, after May elections, the North’s new Executive, would prioritise “establishing new structures of formal dialogue with and between the major faith traditions on this island”.
Separately, the Irish Inter-Church Meeting, which represents 14 Christian traditions, has welcomed the queen’s planned visit.

As reported in Irish News Today