Archbishop pledges church support for immigrant groups

Christmas carols were sung in several languages, immigrant children in traditional dress carried baskets of bread to the altar and the congregation broke into a rhythmic hand clap as a Zulu hymn led more than 25 priests down the aisle of Dublin's pro-cathedral, after a special Mass for immigrants on Saturday.

It was the second time the "Festival of Peoples" was celebrated on the feast of the Epiphany at the pro-cathedral and more than 1,000 people attended the colourful ceremony, which paid tribute to the immigrants who have made Dublin their home.

Celebrating the Mass, Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin said the pro-cathedral had rarely witnessed such a universal event. "If I were asked to summarise in one word what we have here today, that word is "church". Church is a visible sign of the unity of all humankind in Jesus Christ. This is an amazing manifestation of church," he said.

He spoke of the people who had come to this State "out of the harshness of economic necessity" and said he was thinking of their families at home.

"I think of your separation. My own father was forced to work abroad when I was very young. Rarely did I experience the tenderness of my own father as on those days when he had to leave us to return to Britain," Dr Martin said.

"To those of you who are here without your families I pledge the spiritual support and human warmth of our church in Dublin, as you miss the affection and love of your families at home." Dr Martin was joined by more than 25 priests on the altar, including the Papal Nuncio, Dr Giuseppe Lazarotto, and several priests who minister to immigrant communities around Dublin.

People from countries such as Poland, Romania, Brazil, India, Latvia, Nigeria and the Philippines took part in the ceremony and 12 flags were held aloft during the Mass. The Dublin Diocesan Music Group, directed by Fr Pat O'Donoghue, was joined by singers from all over the world, with various parts of the Mass sung in Italian, Romanian, Igbo (spoken in Nigeria) and Malayalam, an Indian language.

One of the highlights of the Mass was a rendition of Silent Night in which verses were sung in German, Brazilian/Portuguese, Irish and Lingala, a Congolese language.

Traditional gifts were carried to the altar including African drums, bread, wine, baskets of food, candles and a representation of the Madonna.

In his homily, Dr Martin said the festive Mass was a sign of the efforts of the Catholic Church in Dublin to "treasure and celebrate the richness of Ireland's new ethnic mixture".

The Catholic Church in Dublin welcomed all immigrants "wherever you trace your origins, for whatever length of time you will be here in Dublin. Whatever else may happen know that you are welcome as full members of this local church," he said.

"We are all brothers and sisters, we all need each other, we all can support and strengthen each other."

He singled out the immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania, the two newest entries to the European Union, and said he hoped they would soon be welcomed "with the same embrace of equality" as other EU citizens. The Government has placed work restrictions on citizens from these two states.

Dr Martin said it was the church's duty to speak out about discrimination and exploitation of immigrants. "It [ the church] speaks about latent racism; it speaks about fully respecting the rights, especially the labour rights, of migrants and their families.

"Immigrants are entitled to the same pay and to the same standards of safety and social protection as any other in our society."

The Catholic Church would be all the more credible in speaking out on these issues when it was leading the creation of a culture of welcome and support, he said.