Cardinal Desmond Connell today described some rock music as "incredibly poisonous" and Buddhism as being a "self centered religion".
"You can't deny there is stuff out in the rock area that is absolutely incredibly poisonous. I don't think anybody can deny that," Cardinal Connell said.
"The difference between Christianity and Buddhism is that Buddhism tends to be self centered. Retiring within the self. Whereas Christianity is an opening out to christ, who is not the self," the Cardinal added.
Cardinal Connell made his comments on the RTE News at Oneprogramme this afternoon.
He described Pope Benedict XVI as an "outstanding person" and a "European figure of the first order".
Cardinal Connell added that Joseph Ratzigner's choice of Benedict as the name for his pontificate was significant.
"I would say Pope Benedict comes to bring peace," Cardinal Connell concluded.