PRESIDENT Mary McAleese last night issued a ringing endorsement of the work and role of the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.
The President made her remarks at the annual Rimini “meeting” of the influential Italian Catholic lay group, “Comunione e Liberazione”.
During a speech which was largely concerned with the role of Christian love and reconciliation in the Northern Ireland peace process, the President presented Archbishop Martin as a symbol of change in Ireland, saying: “We have a wonderful archbishop who is doing an amazing job, God bless him.”
The honour of addressing the first evening session of the six-day meeting fell to the Irish President, who was following in the footsteps of some illustrious predecessors such as Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Tony Blair who have all spoken at previous editions of the meeting.
The President chose as her theme, The Forces Which Change History are Those Which Change the Hearts of Men, in a speech which praised the role of the Belfast Agreement and the whole peace process in moving hearts and minds beyond the stereotypes of Protestant-Catholic, cross-community tensions and distrust.
“We are a privileged generation for we are living through the making of fascinating and uplifting new history in both Ireland and Europe.
“It is not always elegant or pretty in the making. It is often cacophonous and difficult for consensus can be a nightmare to achieve and often those doing the negotiating have as many problems persuading their own followers as they have in persuading the opposition.
“However, for all the ups and downs, false starts and setbacks the structures of the Good Friday Agreement, including the power-sharing government between old enemies in Northern Ireland are proving, like the European Union, to be infinitely more hope-filled and successful than anything which preceded them”, said Mrs McAleese.
At the end of an evening when she was given a warm, enthusiastic response from the nearly 10,000-strong attendance, she was asked by the MC for the night, Irish Times columnist John Waters, what she might do when her current term of office ended next year.
The President indicated that she would not be looking for a third term of office saying: “I’m not looking for another job (as president).”
Earlier, Waters had introduced Mrs McAleese as a “wonderful president, a bridge-builder and someone who seems more like a sister to the Irish people than a manager”.
Asked by Waters about her own inner evolution, the President said she had experienced a watershed moment as an 18-year-old growing up amidst the sectarian hatred of Northern Ireland.
“There was a moment when my family experienced sectarian violence . . . when I had to ask myself did I believe in reconciliation, love and forgiveness.
“I made a conscious decision not to embrace violence . . . and it was good to have the option to love and I’m grateful to those passionate priests, to those nuns who introduced me to the concept of love.”
Speaking off the cuff after her speech, she added: “I believe in change, the power of change, I believe in love and the discipline of love. The words are not new, we learned them from our mothers . . . but we must realise that we are the force that will change history. If we refuse to be mere spectators, then the change that we want will come, God willing.”
More than 800,000 people are expected to attend this week’s meeting which is also due to be addressed by, among others, Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne, Italian finance minister Giulio Tremonti (one of five Berlusconi ministers in attendance), the president of the Confederation of Italian Industry, Emma Marcegaglia, and various church figures including Archbishop Martin who is due to speak tomorrow.