Disestablishment 150
Relating Disestablishment to current events
Bishop Patrick Rooke related the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland to contemporary challenges in his presidential address to Tuam, Killala and Achonry Diocesan Synod last Saturday (21st September).
‘I am conscious that our meeting this year is being held against the backdrop of the 150th anniversary of the Irish Church Act which brought about the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland on 1st January 1871,’ Bishop Rooke remarked. ‘No event in the history of our country has played a more crucial role in shaping the Church of Ireland as it is today.’
In a recent foreword in his diocesan magazine, the bishop had ‘dared to contrast the positive outcome for the Church of Ireland, after a few turbulent years,’ with the Church’s present concerns with the outworking of Brexit ‘and all it might imply for the people of Ireland; not least for those of us in the West.’
His address referred to the fear – in the short term – around how a hard Brexit, in particular, will affect the diocese and not least the farming community and people on lower incomes: ‘A no–deal Brexit will undoubtedly have serious economic, social and political implications and we trust that political reality and sensitivity will prevail. So let us pray, and pray fervently, for the leaders and institutions of government across the European Union at this time.’
Bishop Rooke also recognised fears with regard to the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers in communities, which was ‘an important element’ in the UK’s 2016 referendum and has been manifested recently in Oughterard. He reaffirmed his statement on the issue: ‘Many fears are overcome when local people have the opportunity to meet with those who may come to live alongside them … and to hear their stories.’
He has visited and enjoyed meeting with the residents of the Direct Provision Centre in Ballaghaderreen, also located within the diocese, and found how they have appreciated local welcome and support.
‘I would encourage the State to provide opportunities for meeting and listening,’ he commented. ‘For a new influx of people to be properly catered for, government should be planning, in parallel, to provide extra services and facilities above and beyond those that already exist. Such an undertaking would also, I believe, go a long way towards allaying the local community’s concerns.’
Bishop Rooke’s address is available in full here