NORTHERN IRELAND AGREEMENT
STATEMENT BY MOST REV. SEÁN BRADY
ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH
GOOD FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1998

I welcome the good news that agreement has been reached at the peace talks. I congratulate all those involved in the negotiations who have worked so tirelessly, so courageously and so patiently to bring us to where we are today.

I thank God that the prayers of so many people for the peacemakers and for a successful outcome to these talks are being answered.

It is my fervent hope that the agreement which has been reached will be a significant milestone on the road to a just and lasting peace. The proposals it contains should be given a fair hearing.

I hope that the agreement will lead the way to an Ireland where people grow in respect for each other and learn to trust each other despite their differences.

Only a limited number was involved in the peace talks. All of us must now be participants in the work of reconciliation, of building trust and of healing the hurts.

The Easter Feast is about victory over death and the birth of new life. For Christians it is a time of profound hope. The hope of new life grows stronger this Eastertide. We must pray earnestly this weekend that this hope will sustain us all through the inevitable challenges which lie ahead.