Papal nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown has welcomed the Government’s decision to reopen the Irish Embassy to the Holy See.
Before
making a little bit of Irish Catholic Church history in St Anne’s
Cathedral in Belfast last night, Dr Brown said he was “very pleased” by
the announcement.
“It is an excellent decision
for the people of Ireland and will be beneficial to Ireland in making
its distinctive and important contribution to international relations.
We are all grateful to those who worked so hard to make this day
possible,” he said.
It was an additionally significant day for
the American diplomat as he also became the first papal envoy to deliver
an address in a Protestant cathedral on the island.
Ecumenism address
Dr Brown spoke in the Church of Ireland cathedral in Belfast as part of the current week of prayer for Christian unity. He delivered his ecumenism address on the theme: “Is Christ divided?”
According
to church sources, the attendance in the cathedral of Dr Brown was also
notable in that it is unusual for papal nuncios to travel across the
Border, notwithstanding that, similar to the Protestant churches, the
Catholic Church operates on an all-Ireland basis.
Dr
Brown, who was joined in the cathedral by senior figures from the
Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist churches,
thanked the dean of the cathedral, the Very Rev John Mann, for his
invitation.
“It is a joy and indeed a great
privilege for me to stand before you this evening in this historic and
beautiful St Anne’s Cathedral,” he said.
Dr Brown said he was sure the
pioneers of the ecumenical movement would be very pleased he was
speaking in St Anne’s.