Sunday, August 21, 2011

Peace process priest gravely ill

The Redemptorist Order has asked for prayers for peacemaker priest Fr Alex Reid who is gravely ill in a Dublin hospital.  

Fr Reid (80), who is a native of Nenagh in County Tipperary, played a pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process for more than 20 years and sometimes risked his life as a go-between for terrorists and politicians.

Fr Alex, who was given a Best of Irish Award in 2007, often used his Clonard monastery base in Belfast as a secret meeting place for sensitive peace talks during the darkest days of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

The Redemptorist Order in Dublin this week confirmed that Fr Reid is very ill but that his family and friends are praying for his recovery.  

Provincial Superior Fr Michael Kelleher said, “Fr Alex is very unwell in hospital at the moment but all his family and friends are hoping and praying that he will make a full recovery soon.”

Fr Alex was presented with his Best of Irish Award by then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2007. 

He and Methodist Minister Harold Good were allowed by the IRA to witness the decommissioning of arms in 2005.  

In recent years Fr Alex moved to Dublin and has been involved in peace efforts in the Basque region of Spain. 

In January 2003 he was awarded the Sabino Arana 2002 World Mirror Prize by the Sabino Arana Foundation in Bilbao in recognition of his efforts at promoting peace and reconciliation.  

In 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Ulster in recognition of his services to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.