Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor spoke yesterday of his delight at Cork, the city of his parents' birth, being chosen as European Capital of Culture 2005.
During his homily at the annual Corpus Christi procession in Daunt Square in the city centre Cardinal Murphy O'Connor said culture was more than architecture or natural beauty.
"Culture, it also seems to me, is also connected with the quality, the aspirations and the faith of the people of the city. The city of Cork is written in my memory.
"As a boy I lived for many months with my grandparents in Sundays Well and how often I visited members of my family, my priest uncles in the Lough and the cathedral and elsewhere in this lovely city. Cork, for me, was a place where the traveller found a welcome home."
Cardinal Murphy O'Connor said he grieved at the passing of Pope John Paul II. However, he said it was a sadness mixed with thanksgiving, prayer and faith.
The cardinal plans to say Mass for the nuns at the Poor Clare convent on College Road this morning. He celebrated 10.30am Mass in Christ the King Church in Turner's Cross in Cork yesterday.