Irish Times Notes10 Apr 21

Church of Ireland Notes from ‘The Irish Times’

Search Colloquium

Every other year the Church of Ireland journal, Search, organizes a colloquium which, with the assistance of invited speakers, addresses a particular issue. The next colloquium, which will be held on Saturday 17 April, has as its theme “Who is my Neighbour?  in response to the recent challenge, “Serving Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity”, issued last year by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The fact that the Colloquium can only take place on Zoom has made it possible to secure speakers from all over the world as well as the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, who will introduce and close the proceedings. The chief architect of the WCC report, Dr Peniel Rajkumar, will offer inspiration from Geneva, while Dublin born Professor David Ford from Cambridge will share his experience of the Scriptural Reasoning method which for many years he has used and encouraged to bring adherents of different faiths together. Brother Jean–Marie of Taizé will share that community’s practical experience of serving poor communities across religious divides around the world, and will be backed up by Canon Delene Mark of Hope Africa in Capetown, Professor Esther Mombo of Limuru University in Kenya, and Brother John Martin Sahajananda, formerly of Shantivanam in India. Speakers from nearer home will include Professor Maureen JunkerKenny of TCD, Shayk Dr Umar Al–Qadri of Dublin, and Dr Rupert Sheldrake from the UK. Speakers from other religious communities and mission agencies in Dublin will also be invited to speak.

Looking around the world more than a year since the pandemic began, it is clear that, while some rich countries have been slow in protecting their citizens from infection, it is the poorer countries who have been suffering worst. The WCC document uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to appeal for inter–faith and international cooperation in responding to the desperate needs of those most severely affected by the pandemic, as well as by conflict, climate change, famine, and displacement. The document aims “to offer a Christian basis for interreligious solidarity that can inspire and confirm, in Christians of all churches, the impulse to serve a world wounded not only by the COVID–19 pandemic but also by many other wounds. While primarily intended to address Christians, we hope that it will be useful also to those of other religions, who have already responded to this crisis with similar thoughts based on their own traditions. The global challenge of responding to this pandemic calls us to increased ecumenical and interreligious awareness and cooperation.

Attendance at the Colloquium is free, but limited to 300 people, so to secure a place it’s advisable to access the link ten minutes before the starting time of 10am on April 17. For the Zoom link, please email searchjournalsocialmedia@gmail.com or check the spring issue of Search.

For those who cannot attend the colloquium all is not lost as the proceedings will be published in the summer issue of Search. Subscription details may be had from the Search  Hon. Treasurer, Michael Denton at subscriptions@searchjournal.ireland.anglican.org

The Archbishop of Armagh has asked Bishop–Elect Ian Ellis to act as the Archbishop’s Commissary for the Diocese of Clogher, effective from 5 April 2021. The Archbishop has recorded his thanks to the Ven. Brian Harper, Archdeacon of Clogher,  who has been acting as Archbishop’s Commissary since 28 April 2020, in the context of an unusually long episcopal vacancy caused by pandemic restrictions. The Bishop–Elect’s consecration is planned to take place on St Mark’s Day, 26 April.