On a miserable wet Roman night, Cardinal Seán Brady yesterday "took possession" of the Church of Saints Quiricus and Julitta in Rome, the titular church assigned to him when he was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI two months ago.
Celebrating Mass, Cardinal Brady remarked how happy he was to be given a church that was in many ways linked to Ireland.
The church of Saints Cyricus and Julitta, situated right on the edge of the Roman forum, is also very close to Via degli Ibernesi, once home to the Irish Pontifical College.
Addressing the packed congregation in fluent Italian, Cardinal Brady said: "I'm very pleased to be assigned this church because every day young seminarians, on their way to the Angelicum and Gregorian universities, pass by this door."
Cardinal Brady went on to record the Irish links to the church, pointing out that a number of Irish students, including Andrew Plunkett a cousin of St Oliver Plunkett, lie buried there.
Making reference to the fact that he travelled to Rome from the Holy Land, where he had been on a fact-finding mission for the Vatican's Holy Land Co-ordination Group, Cardinal Brady spoke of the "marvellous experience" of his trip and of his belief that, despite everything, there are signs of hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Earlier in the day, during a news conference on the co-ordination group's trip, the cardinal had been more explicit, saying: "We went there to learn and we went there to help the cause of peace . . . there are definitely signs of hope, the promise of the beginning of a dialogue and that has been boosted by President Bush's recent visit. . .
"Our purpose in the Holy Land was to encourage the local church and to make it feel that it is not alone and that it will continue to survive."
Speaking of the infamous wall that divides Israeli and Palestinian territories, Cardinal Brady added: "I was shocked and saddened at the sight of the wall. It is with bridges, not walls, that you build peace."
Asked if there was much relevance between his own experience in cross-community relations in Northern Ireland and the situation in the Holy Land, the cardinal replied: "Northern Ireland only came up marginally . . . the situations are clearly very different; however, one principle remains.
"There must be a basic respect for human dignity on all sides and to have that, there must be trust."
This was Cardinal Brady's first experience as a member of the Holy Land Co-ordination Group, a Vatican-led initiative intended to support the Christians of the Holy Land.
Among those who travelled with the cardinal to the Holy Land were the Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, Dr William Kenney, and an Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin, Dr Raymond Field.
Cardinal Brady also confirmed yesterday that the Catholic Church in Ireland is to celebrate a special "Year of Vocation", marked by various projects that will focus on the importance of marriage, family and religious life.