The Church of Ireland
Press Release

Members of the Diocesan Synod,

I welcome you to the Synod Hall as we meet to transact the business of our Diocese for another year.

WORLD EVENTS

The shadow which has been cast across the world by the events in the United States on 11 September cannot be far from our minds as we meet in Synod this morning. In common with the rest of the civilized world our minds are numbed by the sheer magnitude of the loss of life in New York and Washington D.C. It was and is impossible to comprehend the horrors of what we have seen on TV.

The world changed that day. For the rest of our lives we will continue to see the consequences of those tragic events. Suddenly the global village has been confronted by monumental questions the answers to which will determine not just a ‘new world order’ but a new way of life for generations to come. A short time ago this world greeted a new millennium. Few could have imagined that so soon that same world would stand on the edge of such an abyss. The images of 11 September will dominate our lives and the lives of our children. Let us be in no doubt we are only at the beginning of this world nightmare. How the world deals with the aftermath of 11 September will dictate the quality of life for generations. Words like justice, truth, the rule of law, compassion can all become casualties when violence challenges human decency. Christians pray this morning that we may never lose faith in the presence, love and compassion of our Heavenly Father in the days ahead. Surely our prayer must be not just for those who have lost so much but for those whose decisions will determine the course of events.

Here in Northern Ireland we know all too well what terrorism does to human lives.

When we contemplate this morning the events of 11 September and the current reaction of the Western Coalition the problems of this Province pale into insignificance. Those world events remind us we are a very small part of this world. But we are a part of that world. Surely what we have known here for many years is now being recognized by the rest of the world not just the illegality of terrorism but the immoral nature of terrorism. We cannot place our experiences on the same level as the present world tragedy in terms of numerical comparison. But we can and we must say every single life lost to terrorism is a life too many, whether it is New York or Omagh, Washington D.C. or Enniskillen, the truth is the same. It is a life too many.

A SPIRITUAL REFLECTION

In the myriad of statements, comments, emotions and horrific images we have seen and heard since 11 September one word seems to me to dominate that word is helplessness. The United States, the most powerful nation on this earth faced helplessness as thousands of innocent lives were slaughtered. People running away from the World Trade Centre seemed helpless. People throwing themselves from windows were helpless. Passengers on planes were helpless to prevent the suicide crashes into the Towers. For forty-eight hours the world seemed helpless as it watched and waited. Soon the eyes of the world focused on Afghanistan where millions had endured helplessness for years because of poverty, starvation and need. In our hearts we felt varying degrees of helplessness as we tried to understand the meaning of it all.

As you know I recently visited Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip with Dr Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury. Those of us who have seen at first hand the helplessness of refugee camps and the tensions of the Middle East recognize the sheer complexity of the cauldron of those situations. We have seen how quickly religious tradition becomes ideology. We have seen how political ambition can manipulate powerlessness and human misery. There is an urgent need for the West to understand the theology, history and indeed the psychology of fundamentalism. The terrorists of 11 September believed they were responding to the call of Allah and that the end fully justified the means. As in our own community the misuses of religion are a part of the problem. As in our community God became the sole property of one outlook or another.

We all identified with the anger and frustration of the United States. We admired the early restraint shown by the American administration. Now we watch the first stages of military response to 11 September. No one can predict what lies ahead of the world. Questions which time alone will pose remain to be asked and to be answered.

But what of the Christian response to all of this?

The Christ of the Sermon on the Mount was the same Christ who suffered the consequences of institutional violence on the Cross of Calvary. The way Christ addressed issues of justice and human relationships on the Mount became even more a moral imperative when from the pain of the Cross he spoke of forgiveness.

We do not doubt the need to eradicate terror from the world. We recognize the need to bring terrorists to face justice for their deeds. What emerges as paramount are the means used to bring this about. Warfare like terrorist activity clouds issues of morality. I for one have never lived easily with many of the justifications put forward for the concept of a ‘just war’. The sacredness of human life lies at the heart of Christian thinking. But so do principles of justice. Central to all this is the ultimate injustice of the suffering of the innocent. We may argue that innocent suffering is inevitable. However that does not make it any more acceptable. What a difference it would be in this world if half the energy and effort being put into cementing the world alliance against terrorism could be put into cementing a world alliance against poverty, world debt and the relief of refugees. When did we see world statesmen flying backwards and forwards urging humanitarian relief programmes? When did we see millions of pounds or dollars at present being spent on war being allocated to drop food and medicine rather than bombs? People talk about a new world order emerging as a consequence of 11 September. Is it possible that that new world order will give greater priority to the human needs of this globe : a new world order in which even a percentage spent on armaments is devoted as of right to meet world poverty? As long as military activity is focused on bringing criminal activity to the bar of world justice there is a case to support. If it becomes anything representing indiscriminate action involving widespread suffering of innocent people it cannot be justified.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Since we last met in Synod Northern Ireland has found itself passing through a prolonged period of political uncertainties. Devolved government with locally elected representatives dealing with a wide range of responsibilities has been generally welcomed and most people have felt that identification of needs by local Ministers has been an advantage. Uncertainty as to the status of the Assembly and consequently those local responsibilities have caused varying degrees of frustration throughout the community. We recognize the party political considerations which have contributed to these uncertainties. However people yearn for stability. People yearn for a period of stability when it is possible to predict with some degree of certainty the way forward so far as government is concerned. There are signs of frustration across the community and all involved in the political process need to be aware that irrespective of party political attitudes the community is looking forward to the sort of stability which comes from a period of certainty.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Last week the Secretary of State announced that two loyalist paramilitary groupings had ended their ceasefires. On the other side of the picture we still await evidence that republican paramilitaries intend to move on decommissioning. Night by night we learn of beatings and so called ‘punishment shootings’ within both main communities. Violence erupts on our streets and we watch images of police and troops under attack. Is it any wonder people ask ‘what Peace Process?’. Whether we like it or not everyday life and routine for this Province, what passes for normality for a majority, goes on against a back-cloth of violence, threat and sectarian hatred. There are two faces to Northern Ireland. But the outside world sees only one. The name of this community is now dismissed across the world as synonymous with the worst that people can inflict on each other. That same world does not see the complex causes of unrest here. It sees only Protestants and Catholics locked in a never-ending struggle left untouched by the twenty-first century. Is it also any wonder that the world asks ‘will it ever end?’.

We have said that 11 September changed our world. One consequence so far as Northern Ireland is concerned must be that world opinion now says there is no justification, excuse or warped reason for any paramilitary arms to be kept available for use. I believe definite and verifiable destruction of paramilitary arms would have a conclusive and lasting effect on not just political life here, but on the whole of our lives. If the IRA can match this demand I believe it will unlock an entire process. I would then hope that all other paramilitary groupings would do likewise. Some years ago with others I found myself able to offer the services of my office and the influence of the Church in assisting the process of a ceasefire. If those actions saved a single life I believe they were justified. Now today I believe there are grounds to hope that movement on decommissioning is imminent. I pray so. But once that happens responses are called for. Decommissioning itself will not solve all our problems. But I believe it would be a major step forward. What then is needed is a change in attitude, a movement of minds and a resolve that the road ahead for us all can never again involve the warfare which has provided such tragedy in the past. Responses to decommissioning will be as important as decommissioning itself.

CONFUSED ATTITUDES

With all the developments on the world stage and the widespread apprehension following the terrorist attacks on the United States what we term ‘our local difficulties’ pale into insignificance. But difficulties they remain and they are not going to disappear. Behind the stop-start syndrome of political life here are issues we ignore at our peril.

May I draw the attention of the Synod to just some of them.

We have long recognized the evils of sectarianism in our society. Throughout the lifetime of most of us sectarianism has been a fact of life. At times it has remained just below the surface at others it has exploded in the reality of violence, community conflict and personal hatreds. At present we are seeing this manifestation in daily and nightly violence in north Belfast. At times particularly during the summer marching season we have faced it locally. The fact that it has been such a historic element to our lives is no excuse for failing to face up to the reality. We are a sectarian society. We are all influenced to larger or lesser degree by sectarian attitudes. We all contribute to sectarianism whether by ‘polite or respectable’ means or by tacit acceptance of the actions of others. The ‘us and them’ attitude prevails at most levels of society. We may have imagined that we have come a long way in recognizing these facts. But the sad truth is that those attitudes continue to dominate too many lives in Northern Ireland.

In recent days we have seen the confusion of terminology play its own part in this cycle of mistrust. The term ‘Protestant’ and ‘Catholic’ are favoured by the media when describing sectarian violence. Then just as quickly we see the designation ‘Loyalist’ and ‘Republican’ or ‘Nationalist’. I do not dispute the relationship between ‘Loyalist’ and ‘Protestant’ or ‘Republican’ and ‘Nationalist’ with Roman Catholicism but I do dispute the identification of a religious identity with a political one. This is a particular problem for the Protestant or Loyalist population. It underlines the difference between ‘religious Protestantism’ and ‘political Protestantism’. Historically it has been to our shame that we have often confused the two. On one hand Churches are condemned if they are not seen to be supporting the political face of a community. On the other Churches are blamed for adopting a too party political stance. Time and again there are complaints that Church leadership is aloof from supporting political expressions of a religious identity. This all results from a failure on the part of Churches to recognize the difference between religious and political expression of a community identity and a failure by political activists to understand the nature of a Church. It also results from an attitude by political activists which assumes there will be inevitable Church support for party political attitudes within a section of the community right or wrong. If any doubt this dilemma then just let me quote two phrases : “For God and Ulster” and “For God and Ireland”.

A Church must be concerned with social injustice. It must have the courage to speak the truth in love. But that approach must never be over-identified with injustice in its own community to the exclusion of a recognition of injustice in another section of the population. Churches of the Reformed tradition must be prepared to speak of injustice directed towards the Protestant population in Northern Ireland but they must also have the Christian courage to speak out about injustice encountered by the Roman Catholic population. Equally the Roman Catholic Church must be aware of the feelings within the Protestant community as well as addressing those of the Nationalist or Republican communities.

North Belfast is a current example of this problem. No one can possibly justify the abuse both physical and verbal of children going to school. The scenes of violence against children portrayed across the world have branded religious as well as political Protestantism as un-Christian bigots. But equally no one could possibly justify a summer of attacks on Protestant homes, intimidation of Protestant pensioners or young people. There are serious faults on both sides. There are two stories to be told.

Whether we like it or not the outside world has passed judgement and that judgement does not distinguish between the political or the religious expression of a community.

We all know the complexity of the issues in that tragic situation. But I am afraid such recognition is ignored by the world beyond our shores which judges us all by the images of TV.

The truth is that not just in north Belfast but right across this Province we have a very long way to go before we can put the hatred and the divisions behind us. But let us at least recognize this morning that religious identity and political identity continue to make their contribution to the confusion we all face. In no way can religious identities be allowed to justify actions which are committed by those who see a religious label as a flag of convenience. Perhaps we all need to see again that basic Christianity should be above and beyond the narrowness of what passes in our community as religious.

VICTIMS OF TERRORISM

The Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government contained a specific commitment to address the needs of victims of our Troubles. I welcome this commitment. We recognize that the needs of victims are difficult and complex and there are few if any in our Synod of Armagh who do not recognize this fact. Society cannot ignore our responsibilities to those who have suffered most over the past decades either through personal injury or bereavement. In a sense we are all victims of the past 30 years. Our attitudes and our feelings are greatly influenced by what we have endured. Nevertheless those in the special categories mentioned by the Executive and the Assembly deserve particular care and attention. They remain among the most marginalized people of our society.

I have long believed that one of the most important ingredients in our society is how we address that human facility we term ‘memory’. Memories to a large extent make us what we are. They can be positive and encouraging emotions just as they can be negative and destructive. Northern Ireland is a place of memories. Reminders of past injustices, injuries or devastating experiences sour attitudes to the present and the future. Each day we are reminded of this fact. Experience of the past can easily lead to the conclusion that nothing has changed. On both a community-wide and personal level it take a supreme effort of heart and mind to gain release from the burden of past negative and destructive experiences. But try we must. If our society is to have a future of peace and stability we must address the role of memory in our lives. That is why one aspect of our social responsibility must be to care for, recognize and emphasise the practical needs of victims. They carry the urgent pain of memory. I believe this Synod would wish to encourage government to pursue actively all avenues to support the victims of our past history.

YOUTH CONCERNS

As I told the Synod last year we are stressing the needs of our young people during this winter’s work. Each rector has received an extensive questionnaire on the work of our parishes among young people. Once the returns have been received the Diocesan Council will be considering the way forward so that we can adopt a realistic policy as a diocese so far as youth work is concerned.

But I want to address this subject in a wider way this morning.

The established and traditional Churches face a crisis today so far as young people are concerned. The youth scene has changed vastly in the past few decades and I see alarming evidence at parish levels that much of what we accept as normal Church activity is out of touch with that scene. Many congregations are ageing. Look around the pews in your own parish next Sunday. The picture will vary greatly from place to place. Where are the young people who were Confirmed even a year ago? Where are the teenagers in the homes of our parishes on a Sunday? How many of them are actually involved in their parish week-night activities? The quality of those who do attend or are involved has never been higher. But they are a minority. Where are all the rest?

I have little patience with those who condemn the current youth scene in purely negative terms. I have no patience with those who constantly criticize young people because established or traditional Church practices fail to enthuse teenagers. Young people today are asking questions about the nature of life and the quality of our society which demand answers. They are also posing serious questions about the Church. It is not that a whole generation has become ‘Godless’. They exhibit in many instances a deeper awareness of ‘the spiritual’ than many of us exhibited at their age. The point is that too frequently they find no point of identity with ‘the spiritual’ they see in the sanctuary or hear from the pulpit. We may argue that this is nothing new. I wonder if it is as simple as that.

When I attend special youth services or ‘worship events’ I listen carefully. When I do I see and hear words used, expressions emphasized, which have a definite relation to Christ. The call to accept Christ is very clear. The call to personal commitment is loud and clear. Such a personal call and personal element to faith I of course welcome. But I see a yawning gap between the ways the traditional Church expresses belief in the three-fold Godhead and what appeals to those young people in their music, their reverence for Christ and their interest in the Faith. That yawning gap is even more pronounced when we consider the feed-back from such events to the parochial level. The danger for the traditional Church and for the young people themselves is that because there is no definite connection between ‘special events’ and the day to day life of a parish a new sort of religious tradition almost is being established. The traditional parish is going one way the youth scene is going another.

I cannot over-emphasise my concerns today in this regard. If you doubt the seriousness of this position ask yourselves clear questions about the future of your parish. What will its membership be like in 20 years time? Who will be in the pews in twenty years from now? What will be the shape of parish life in the years that lie ahead?

In this next year I hope our diocese will have the courage to take hard decisions about youth work. I pray that we will make the right decisions and make them for the right reasons …

FOOT AND MOUTH EPIDEMIC

Over the past year the Foot and Mouth epidemic devastated our farming community. We are a largely rural diocese and we have seen at first hand the tragic consequences of that crisis. I want to pay a warm tribute to our farming community. As I visit parishes I hear the stories and I listen to the experiences of farmers. The initial outbreaks of the disease developed within our diocese. I know that local clergy were involved in many challenging pastoral situations as a result. But in particular I want to pay a warm tribute to Canon Harry Moore, rector of Ballinderry. In the weeks following the outbreak at Ardboe he was instrumental in guiding the local farming community and was given their full support as Chairman of the local action committee. His quiet reassurance in many media interviews spoke volumes of the pastoral outreach of our Church.

CHURCH HOUSE, ARMAGH

As you will all be aware we meet in a Church House which has undergone extensive improvement and renovation., After long and careful planning we now have a building of which we can be justly proud. I hope you will take the opportunity to look around during the day and see for yourselves what has been achieved. For a long time we have felt the need to modernize this ancient and historic building. I pay a warm tribute to our staff who have continued to serve the diocese during the trying period of renovation when their work was completed under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. I pay tribute to our Renovation Committee and Diocesan Architect. The cost of this work has been considerable. We are grateful to the Representative Church Body for their financial support which together with the realization of Diocesan held capital has allowed us to undertake such an ambitious project. However the Diocesan Council has also invited an input from the parishes. We are most grateful to those parishes which have already contributed. I want to appeal to all those parishes which have yet to make a contribution to do so as soon as possible. I have no hesitation in making such a request for this building is the enter of our diocesan administration. Each parish benefits from the work we do here. Together with St Patrick’s Cathedral in which we worshipped a short time ago, Church House is the heart of our diocese. I therefore ask you to take back to your parishes this request for help to allow us to meet the cost of such extensive work. While I am well aware of the financial pressure on parochial accounts in these days I ask you all to take seriously your opportunity to support the Diocese in this way.

THE LIBRARY

In the same week as we welcomed the re-opening of Church House it was a matter of immense satisfaction to see also the re-opening of the Library across the street. Extensive renovation work has been carried out on that ancient and historic building and it is a delight to know that the vision of that remarkable man Archbishop Robinson is once more available to scholars, tourists and the general public.

STAFF

I have referred already to our staff in this building and mentioned the difficulties they have encountered in continuing to serve us while the renovation work progressed. Dust, noise, draughts and power cuts were daily occurrences. I was amazed by the way in which all three ladies stuck to their tasks through it all. I thank the Diocesan Secretary, Mrs Jane Montgomery for her consistent service to this diocese exercised during the past year despite such problems, with cheerfulness and loyalty. Clergy and laity speak with such appreciation of her work. We wish her well in her new surroundings. We wish the former Administrative Assistant Mrs Yvonne McFarland every success as she commences a business career in Dungannon. We welcome Mrs Jennifer Kirkland as she begins her work in the office. What can I say about my own Secretary, Mrs Roberta Haffey, which has not been said over and over again? She enjoys the respect and affection of a host of people within and without the Church of Ireland. Her loyalty and support to say nothing of her patience as Archbishop’s Secretary deserves our unreserved gratitude.

CANON REGGIE KENNY

During the past year one of the most faithful servants of the Church of Ireland has intimated his wish to be relieved of the responsibility of a Diocesan Lay Secretary which he has held since 1992. In 1976 he followed his father as a member of the Diocesan Council. No one involved in any aspect of the life of the Diocese of Armagh is in any doubt as to our debt to Canon Reggie Kenny. He has audited most of our accounts over the years without asking for any fee. Despite periods of ill health he has maintained such faithful service to his Church and he has been an example of the very best of lay involvement. I have recognized his work by appointing him to be an honorary lay canon of our Cathedral but this morning I thank him on behalf of us all for his magnificent contribution to the Church he loves. I wish him many years of continued interest in our affairs and health to do so.

ARCHDEACON

Once more I thank the Archdeacon of Armagh for his work for this diocese and in a wider sense for his work on my behalf. Few realize the amount of work involved in co-ordinating the supply of clergy and readers where there are vacancies or illness in a parish. Few realize the demands made on his time for committee work. I know he would join with me in thanking in particular our retired clergy who give so willingly of their time to assist the diocese where there is need for particular parochial support.

THIS SYNOD

So we turn to the business of this Synod. We seek God’s guidance for our stewardship of the work of this Diocese as we address our Agenda.

Recently the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England spoke of the decline in religious observance and the growing irrelevance of Church life to that of English society. His comments were serious and thought-provoking. Here in Northern Ireland many still claim Church allegiance. Per head of the population we have better Church attendance than elsewhere than in these islands. Yet we present to the world constant images of the antipathy of Christianity. Perhaps the agenda the entire Christian Church in this Province needs to have before it could be summed up in one word relevance. How relevant to a sick and suffering society is the Gospel we present within our Church services? How relevant is our actual influence in that society? How relevant are the lives of members of the Churches out in this community? The evidence we face day by day and night by night too often condemns us as irrelevant.

Why?

May God guide us afresh to become beacons of hope, honesty and genuine compassion not for our continued existence as Churches but only and exclusively in the name of Christ the Saviour of the world.

God bless you all …