Irishwoman ‘honoured’ with lead role at Vatican peace event

Co. Wicklow native opened peace invocation

The Irishwoman who opened Pope Francis’ Invocation for Peace at the Vatican Gardens last weekend has spoken of the “huge honour” she felt at being part of the event.

Emer McCarthy Cabrera was one of just two lay people who took part in the gathering of Middle Eastern leaders on June 8 following Pope Francis’ invitation to Israel’s President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to join him at the Vatican in a symbolic gesture towards promoting peace.

“I feel so blessed to have been a part of such an historic moment,” the Co. Wicklow native told The Irish Catholic this week.

Invitation

Emer’s role in the invocation became a reality after organisers decided that in addition to faith leaders offering prayers, lay people should be represented. As an employee with Vatican Radio for the last 12 years, Emer received her invitation once the director of the Vatican press office, Fr Federico Lombardi, was asked to nominate a lay participant.

Emer subsequently became the ‘first voice’ of the invocation event when she delivered the short opening prayer and the invitation to the assembled leaders “to gather in a spirit of peace”.

Historic

Living and working in Rome for the last 16 years, Emer has seen “many historic moments, from the passing of Pope John Paul II to the departure of Pope Benedict XVI”.

“These were large scale occurrences,” she says. “The invocation, despite its global importance, was a small event and was truly something to witness first hand. It was so moving to be there.”