Intolerance and discrimination against immigrants must be outlawed at every opportunity, said the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin.
"We now have to face the new challenges as global human mobility brings to our own shores persons from so many countries, cultures and religions," he said during a homily in Arbour Hill remembering the leaders of the 1916 Rising.
"Each year, as this commemoration takes place, Ireland has become that much more multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. We now have a generation, perhaps two, of new Irish.
"We have a duty to be big-hearted in our acceptance of those who day by day bring an invaluable contribution to a new Ireland, through their work, through their talents, indeed though their diversity."
The remarks by Dr Martin, delivered in the presence of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and many members of the Cabinet, are particularly sensitive given the upcoming citizenship referendum. However, a source close to the archbishop insisted that the homily was not a direct criticism of the Government's action, but rather a recognition of the difficulties immigration causes for all societies.
"It would be foolish to imagine that becoming a truly multi-ethnic Ireland will always be an easy task. We have to be wary to outlaw, from the moment they first appear, any forms of intolerance and discrimination and to create a culture of generous welcome and mutual understanding. When difficulties arise, as they will, they must be addressed always in such a way that the new Irish feel in no way that their security is threatened, but rather that their contribution to our nation is welcomed and appreciated.
"The new Irish are true Irish and they must never feel that they belong only on the margins," said Dr Martin, adding that the 1916 leaders had "a dream of an Ireland of harmony and of sharing.
"In some cases, it was perhaps a romantic dream. But theirs was a time when one could only dream. Ours is one in which we must make dreams a reality.Every generation needs to look anew at the causes of marginalisation and how new forms emerge. We are being inspected by those who lie here, inspected for what we have done with the independence for which they had fought."
Urging proper care for the elderly, the archbishop said: "They are those who have given their lives to their work, to their families and to building up community.
"They are those who kept the whole place going when times were difficult and money was scarce. Those who invested so much into Irish society during their lives have the right to enjoy their later years to the full and in security.
"Health services and pension services face new challenges in today's economic climate. Let us hope that those who have worked and paid all their lives are not deluded when it is their turn to receive something back."
Dealing with the victims of abuse in religious-run institutions, he said: "We must look to the future, but never forget the past. We still need healing in so many areas.
"We have to be sure that measures of healing and redress, for example for those who were never able to realise their full potential because of the level of care they received in schools or institutions, are experienced as healing and redress by the victims and survivors themselves."
The "historical memory" of the 1916 Rising must be "lived out today as a rejection of violence. In a new Ireland we must reject violence, anywhere, for whatever reason".
