The Archbishop of Dublin says the annual Christmas lunch at the RDS will serve twice as many people as it did last year.
Diarmuid Martin expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to the Crosscare foodbank appeal this year.
However, Archbishop Martin said it was sad to see the increase in need in the capital.
He said while recovery was being measured economically, the picture was different when it came to social casualty.
The Archbishop also stated that he was heartened by the Stormont talks his Christmas Day address: "This Christmas I am heartened by the news from Stormont that our politicians have made progress in removing some of the stumbling blocks obstructing the path to lasting peace. It is good to see ‘Heads of Agreement’ rather than ‘Headlines of Disagreement’ emerging from the talks. We know there is still much work to be done, but I thank all who have been working hard to achieve and underpin these new steps towards a better future for us all.
"It is important to hope and to believe that peace is possible. We all have a part to play in supporting and affirming peace. We must work to ensure that cynicism or negativity do not cause the strands of agreement to unravel. So tonight I thank God for the progress that our politicians have made and I pray that in the New Year they will continue to show courage, leadership and commitment in bringing us further forward."
