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Francis made the comment about the 1998 agreement, which has
come under strain following Britain's exit from the European
Union, in his noon address on Easter Monday to tens of thousands
of people in St. Peter's Square.
"Today marks the 25th anniversary of the so-called Good Friday
agreement, or of Belfast, which brought an end to the violence
that for decades troubled Northern Ireland," Francis said.
Signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998, the agreement is considered
one of the most significant peace deals of the late 20th
Century, seeking to end three decades of sectarian strife
between Catholic and Protestants known as "The Troubles" that
killed more than 3,600 people.
"In a spirit of gratitude I pray to the God of peace so that
what was achieved in that historic step can be consolidated to
benefit all the men and women of the island of Ireland," the
head of the nearly 1.4 billion-member Roman Catholic Church
said.
Apart from the effect of Britain's departure from the EU, other
political crises have overshadowed this week's commemorations,
which will be attended by U.S. President Joe Biden, reflecting
the vital role the United States played in brokering the
agreement.
Angry about post-Brexit trade rules that treated the province of
Northern Ireland differently to the rest of the United Kingdom,
the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest pro-British party,
has boycotted the power-sharing devolved government central to
the peace deal for more than a year.
Last month, Britain's MI5 intelligence agency increased the
threat level in Northern Ireland from domestic terrorism to
"severe" - meaning an attack was considered highly likely.
(Additional reporting by Michael Holden in London; editing by
John Stonestreet, Kirsten Donovan)
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