1998 has been a good year for Ireland. Some setbacks with, for instance, the tragic Omagh bombing. But, with many fingers crossed and many Protestant and Catholic prayers, there is hope of an end to the violence.

The ‘Boston Globe’ had an editorial in May about Indian and Pakistani leaders coming together which added that most big problems in the world today were a legacy of the British empire.

Many people, except those with computer programs that can't cope with the change of century, are looking forward to the millennium.

Mother Teresa is being laid to rest, a well deserved rest after a lifetime poured out for others. What a remarkable tribute that India, her adopted nation, should accord her a state funeral and that the Indian president should link Mother Teresa's name with Mahatma Gandhi in what she meant to that great subcontinent.

When you pick up a book by an American that dares to carry an endorsement from Fidel Castro and prints a picture of the author this year with the Cuban leader, you know that you are dealing with an independent-minded person.

How do we best celebrate the millennium? President Clinton has challenged communities across the country to share ideas for millennium projects by posting them on a special website.

One doesn't have to tread far into the minefield of race relations to know that acknowledgement of and healing for the past are still appropriate.

I was present on Sorry Day in the Anglican cathedral in Perth when leaders of all the churches read out their denomination's apologies for the 'removals'. The Moderator of the Uniting Church, the Rev John Dunn, added his personal apology for 'my participation in taking the children'.

'Over the coming decades, our country's ethnic and racial diversity will continue to expand dramatically. Will those differences divide us, or will they be our greatest strength? The answer depends on what we are willing to do together.'

Healing is a community effort