Paisley and I prayed, says former Taoiseach
IAN Paisley prayed with Bertie Ahern, the former Irish Prime Minister last night revealed.
The DUP founder, who enjoyed an astonishingly warm relationship with Mr Ahern in recent years, joined in prayer with the Fianna Fail politician.
Speaking on RTE 1's The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne, Mr Ahern spoke of the former First Minister as "the great Ian Paisley".
The news follows Mr Paisley's revelation last month that he had prayed with Martin McGuinness while they served as First and Deputy First Ministers.
"When I came face-to-face time and time again with the great Ian Paisley, it was the one thing we were able to share, which surprised him," Mr Ahern said.
"I had regard for him politically. I didn't have regard for much else about him, let's be honest.
"The famous morning we had a meeting, just one-to-one in the Irish Embassy.
"He was saying a prayer and I joined in with him.
"That had a profound impact on him."
Mr Ahern said that he had started a discussion with the former DUP leader about what rules he lived by.
"I said I live by three sets of rules. I live by the Commandments as best I could. I said I understood the beatitudes – and he was surprised that I knew about the beatitudes at all – and then I said I live by my own conscience," Mr Ahern said.
He said that Mr Paisley had promised him that if he signed an agreement with Sinn Fein, he would "totally sign up and carry it through".
He added: "He did and he honoured his word. Without him tied in we would not have brought a total end to the Troubles."
At a lunch in Belfast last month, Mr Paisley recalled how he had prayed with his then Sinn Fein ministerial colleague.
The Free Presbyterian founder said: "We got on well together because we had a good foundation, and as long as we kept to that foundation all was well...there were some individual matters that he had, home matters of people being ill and his mother being ill, and we prayed together.
"Well, I did the praying and he did the listening, but he wanted me to do it...I offered prayer for him, and I think that was the right thing to do, and I don't care what people say.
"I hope that I have the same heart that Christ had, a love for others who needed help at times of need."
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Monday 28 May 2012
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