Cardinal Sean Brady left Derry full of "renewed hope" for the future. The Catholic Primate told Massgoers at St. Eugene's Cathedral that his first visit to the city since his elevation to the College of Cardinals was "very special for him".During his homily at a special St Francis De Sales Mass, he said: "Recently, Pope Benedict held up Northern Ireland as an example for other parts of the world. The peace process has borne much fruit. However, Churches should not be complacent. The work of reconciliation needs God. Only God, who made the human heart, can heal it.
"I give thanks to God, for I leave Derry today with renewed hope, having seen the signs of hope in Derry – especially the young people, who are prophets of hope."
During his homily, the Bishop also paid tribute to the work of the Foyle Hospice which he visited early on Thursday morning. "It is great to see the wonderful care and love which is shown to patients there," he said.
During his two-day visit to the city, Cardinal Brady also handed over Pope John Paul II awards to young people at a ceremony at the Millennium Forum. The awards ceremony, he said, was an "excellent example of how to bring out the best in the Church, in service of the local community – by helping young people to bring out the best in themselves."
Speaking at the event, he said: "Many people today are concerned about the breakdown of community, about a loss of neighbourliness and basic civility in our society. It is at the local level that the Church can make a real difference in building community and developing a culture of decency and respect. It is often at the local level that the Church is at its strongest and best."
During his address, the Cardinal also took the opportunity to underscore the "hard reality" that "so many of our young people live in an unacceptable level of poverty disadvantage.
"It should be a matter of shame and urgent concern for all of us, but especially for those responsible for public spending, that Northern Ireland continues to have one of the highest levels of child poverty in Europe.
Social need
"I welcome the increase in the allocation given to addressing social need in the budget at Stormont. But, I believe we need to do more. We need more money, especially in support of those young people who have fallen foul of despair, who live with little hope because of low self esteem, abuse, substance addiction, broken relationships or difficult economic circumstances. All of us have a part to play in addressing this need. We can't leave the care of others to the Government alone."
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