Pope welcomes Ireland's new ambassador

(Sept. 15, 2007) The answers to moral issues such as respect for creation and the environment, peace, non-violence, justice and even respect for the life of the unborn child can be traced back to the innate dignity that God has endowed man with. This remark of Pope Benedict XVI came in a message he delivered on Saturday to Ireland’s new ambassador to the Holy See, Noel Fahey, who presented his credentials to the Pontiff at a formal ceremony in the papal summer residence of Castelgandolfo, on the outskirts of Rome.
Pope Benedict praised Ireland’s domestic and international commitment to the environment, and said that the promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are indeed matters of grave importance for the entire human family, and no nation or business sector should ignore them.” The Pope explained that the relationship between man and the environment can be fully understood in the natural and moral order with which God has created man and endowed the earth. The great and vital moral themes of peace, non-violence, justice, and respect for creation… stem from the innate dignity of human life ─ from the moment of conception to natural death ─ a dignity conferred by God himself, the Pope said. The Pope lamented that often the very social and political groups that, admirably, are most attuned to the awe of God’s creation, pay scant attention to the marvel of life in the womb.
Pope Benedict also noted Ireland’s unprecedented economic growth in recent years, and said that phenomena such as secularism, scepticism and the lack of ethical points of reference brought about by material comfort can be overcome with the help of their Christian faith that has shaped their the cultural, moral and spiritual identity for over sixteen hundred years. Commenting on the success of the Northern Ireland Peace Process the Holy Father hoped it will inspire political and religious leaders in other troubled zones of the world to recognize that only upon forgiveness, reconciliation and mutual respect can lasting peace be built.