Over €4 million raised in the Dublin archdiocese for the tsunami disaster should be dedicated to the children who were orphaned or traumatised, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has said.
A special remembrance Mass was held in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral on Saturday.
The Mass was attended by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern; the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Michael Conaghan; Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Mr Conor Lenihan; members of the diplomatic corps, including representatives from the countries affected, and relatives of some of the Irish victims.
In his homily, Dr Martin prayed for the victims, especially those from Ireland and from the archdiocese, their families, all those affected and the many children who died in the disaster.
"We pray for the children who have survived and are orphaned or traumatised. We have to do everything in our power so that they can recover hope," he said.
Those children would have to face their future in many cases without parents or family, in crushed communities, he said.
Everybody had to ensure that these young people would receive all the support they needed. They could begin school and with the patient help of their teachers begin to overcome the trauma and to realise their talents and their dreams, Dr Martin said.
They were like any other children - their tears were as tragic as the tears of our own children, and their dreams should fill our hearts with determination just like the dreams of our own children, he said.
"That is why I proposed that the funds gathered on the occasion of the church collection within the Archdiocese of Dublin be dedicated to the children, so that they can experience love and care today, and real hope for tomorrow," Dr Martin said.
Rarely had an event such as this disaster touched the hearts of so many people across the world, he said.
"Our young people responded with their own characteristic ideals and generosity, with that sense of caring across all boundaries which should make everybody so proud of our young people of today.
"There is something especially authentic about the projects they have taken up and about the concrete way they go about them. For years to come there will be fishing boats in Sri Lanka carrying the names of Irish schools," Dr Martin told the congregation.