The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Robert Moll oy, will be among guests at the elevation of the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, to the College of Cardinals in Rome this morning.
Dr Connell will be among 44 men from around the world who will be created cardinals by Pope John Paul at a ceremony in St Peter's Square, which begins at 10.30 a.m.
Also representing the State at the ceremony will be Mr Dermot McCarthy, secretary-general to the Government, and the Irish Ambassador to the Holy See, Mr Eamon O Tuathaill. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr Maurice Ahern, will represent Dublin Corporation.
This evening the Taoiseach will host a reception for Dr Connell in Mr O Tuathaill's residence, at which he will deliver an address of congratulation to the new cardinal.
Also attending today's ceremony, which is being broadcast live on RTE television, will be Cardinal Cahal Daly, and the Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Dr Sean Brady.
Dr Connell's brother, Jim, and his sister-in-law, Peggy, widow of the Archbishop's other brother, Mr Dan Connell, will also be present.
Five Auxiliary Bishops of Dublin, Dr Eamonn Walsh, Dr Jim Moriarty, Dr Martin Drennan, Dr Raymond Field and Dr Fiachra O Ceallaigh, will attend, as will Archbishop Dermot Clifford of Cashel, Archbishop Micheal Neary of Tuam and the bishops of the suffragan sees of the Dublin archdiocese, Dr Brendan Comiskey of Ferns, Dr Laurence Ryan of Kildare and Leighlin and Dr Laurence Forrestal of Ossory.
Also there will be Dr Donal Murray of Limerick, a former auxiliary bishop in Dublin, and Dr Philip Boyce of Raphoe.
After the ceremony the Taoiseach and Dr Connell will be guests, along with Cardinal Daly, Archbishop Brady and the other Irish bishops and archbishops, at lunch in the Irish College in Rome.
All the Irish bishops, including Dr Connell and Cardinal Daly, are staying at the college, which is a seminary run under the direction of the Irish Bishops' Conference.
On Sunday morning Mr O Tuathaill will escort Dr Connell to Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport for his return flight to Ireland.
On arrival at Dublin Airport on Sunday afternoon, the new cardinal will be given a Government VIP reception on the tarmac. This will be followed by a further reception in the Aer Rianta VIP lounge at the air port.
There will follow a courtesy visit by the new cardinal to the President, Mrs McAleese, at Aras an Uachtarain.
Dr Connell will be accompanied on this visit by his brother and sister-in-law.
A further Government reception for Dr Connell is scheduled for Dublin Castle on Sunday, March 4th.
