The Raders have an air of quiet authority. This married couple, the international leaders of the Salvation Army, are in their mid-60s, tall, impeccably groomed, and attired in the navy Salvation Army uniforms. Members of staff in the Granby Centre, the largest army centre in Dublin, line up to meet them.

As they cross the foyer, a man hurries after them and corners Kay Rader. He's unshaven and ragged, slurring his words while clasping both her hands. He thanks her profusely for all the army has done for him, praising their goodness and Christianity. She smiles and listens patiently, cutting him short without appearing rude.

Seated behind an imposing desk in the centre's main office, the Raders look like a thoroughly presidential couple. There may be an air of formality - the General addresses his wife of 43 years as "Commander Rader" - but they have a pleasant manner.

General Rader was elected as world leader of the Salvation Army in 1994, while his wife is the world president of the army's women's organisations. The army is both a religious and a social movement. It was founded in London in 1878 by the Methodist preacher William Booth, who modelled its structures on those of the British army.

The Salvationist church has its roots in Methodism and claims about two million members worldwide. The Salvationists' ordained clergy are called `officers'. There are more than 20,000 officers and 100,000 non-Salvationist volunteers.

The Raders are about to retire, so their one-day visit to Ireland last week is part of a farewell tour. He is the army's 15th general and the first American to hold the post. He grew up in New York and comes from a family with a strong army tradition - "My parents and grandparents were Salvation Army officers". He and Kay met as college students in Kentucky. She is the daughter of a Methodist minister. Both are deeply religious.

"Faith-based charities bring a spiritual component that is potentially life-changing," he says. "We see that change, which gives people the motivation and sense of personal worth that makes it possible to build a better future."

The Raders went to work in Korea in 1962 and stayed there for 22 years. Both speak fluent Korean. "The country was in a reconstruction phase after the war. We were running feeding programmes for people living in sewer culverts, mountain caves. Some even lived in holes in the ground covered by rice sacks."

Kay adds: "There were two major refugee resettlement areas in Seoul, both of which have become major affluent areas today. But they were the poorest of the poor in those days. We began a day nursery programme to help families, particularly women who needed to break rocks or do whatever they could to help their families. So we took care of their children while they worked."

The first 10 years were hard. "There were people starving in South Korea, people freezing to death." But the general enjoyed his time there. "A lot of people came to know the Lord and became part of our Salvation Army fellowship of faith."

In recent times, the general has been encouraged by the army's growing involvement in communist North Korea. "Just recently we supplied them with seed grain for barley, to get it into the ground in time for harvest. And we're providing them with agricultural equipment. For years, we've been praying that the day would come when there'd be peace and reconciliation between North and South. We have been so thrilled to see this small opening of opportunity."

The Raders have spent time in some of the world's most volatile areas, including Rwanda and Bosnia. Kay travelled to Rwanda shortly after the genocide. "We ended up in a village where a great number of children had been left without parents. Most of them had seen their parents slaughtered. "We established programmes not only of feeding and nutrition, but also trying to link these children to mothers, parents - anyone who could look after them. We made no difference between Tutsis and Hutus in the assistance we were willing to give. We just tried to help."

Seeing so many horrific things has given the general a strong awareness of evil. "I believe in a personal devil, a satanic being who orchestrates this, and good people are caught in the crossfire. But I also believe in the power of the Gospel and the redemptive purposes of God - that human history is also a salvation history."

Has he ever had a crisis of faith? "I tend to be a believer, to be honest. I've struggled with certain issues. When I see good people suffer and die, people who are important to the work of God . . . I think when I get to heaven I want to ask God about that. And we shed tears over those things."

Kay interrupts. "We're very different people. I have struggled. About 12 years into our experience in Korea I came to a sort of crossroads in my faith. It was a crisis experience and it took a while. Through that, I think I came out stronger in my faith than before."

Though they're retiring, they will both remain active within the army. They have been living in London for the last five years, and intend to return to the place where they met, Kentucky. "Bluegrass country," says the general, winking. "We'll continue to do some speaking, some writing, some teaching. We'll see how these possibilities unfold - and that's exciting."

They have enjoyed their five years as international leaders. "We have a marvellous company of Godly people, really heroic people, physically courageous people, in many parts of the world," he says. "And there have been occasions when we stand in the presence of some of these humble, little-known workers and you feel like you want to take off your shoes. Because you're standing on holy ground."